Zoid Knights
by Sharpshooter
Summary: yay! chapter three! i'm actually getting sometihng done!
1. BIt and Liger's first meeting

Disclaimer: In this fanfic you are Bit no one else. I wrote it so that you, the reader, will understand the story a little better. I also wrote it this way because it's just plain easier to write. p.s. there are a few places where other people have their own little script type thingy. I DO NOT OWN ZOIDS NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WISH I DIDT_T! just to let you now I use a lot short references. plus I use a lot of terms such as team letters wich if you e-mail me fayes_liger@yahoo.com i can tell you what the team's are and such.  
  
I sighed. This wasn't working.   
"Lets take a break and actually look at the parts." I said wearily. Bartering was a favorite pastime of mine, but today it kust wasn't haveing the desired effect on my mood. I sighed then got up and walked out to the Tauros's garage, Leena haveing gone a different route. I was almost to the door before I noticed my old neighbor Naomi dismantling her Zoid in the Tauros's parking lot.   
  
"Naomi! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" I yelled over the drone of her drill and other tools.  
  
"None of YOUR business." Naomi shot back.   
  
I shook my head. She was right. It wasn't any of my business. But still--what a waste. I walked the rest of the way to the garage. Leena opened the door from the inside.   
  
"Well come on hurry up." Leena said impatiently, as she tapped her foot.   
  
"I'm comin'. I woulda been in sooner if you had opened the door quicker." I snapped back.   
  
I looked over Leena's shoulder and gasped as I heard the metal screech against the cement of the floor. The eyes of a Liger stared back at me. It. Was. Magnificent. The claws and teeth sharp, probably laser sharpened, and the snarl was fierce. No other visible weapon..., no wait there was a small underbelly gun. But there was a small problem. The Liger's back legs, tail, and hindquarters were separated from the fore legs, chest, and head. The armor looked totaled, and the separated peices looked as if a war had passed over them. A faint light flickered in the Liger's eyes as I drew near. I didn't dare to touch it. But I did anyway. The Liger eyes lighted. The jaw grated open and a soft growl greeted me as I ran my hand along it's jaw. Sparks flew from the separated end.  
  
"Easy buddy easy." I crooned over the grating and sparking.   
  
The Liger continued to challenge me with the eye I could see as I walked around to the separated end. Liger's head tried vainly to follow me but it was too weak or it didn't have a long enough neck and his head fell back to rest beneath between it's paw/claws. Liger lifted his head again. And tried to find me. Another massive explosion of sparks sprayed over me as I reached the hind quarter's. *What an odd Liger. It's...white. But what's with the armor? It's black. Hmmm...*   
  
"These connections can be fixed, at a hefty amount, but why hasn't she tried to get someone to fix him? Even I could do it." Liger's head once again tried to find me. "How much?" I called from behind Liger, still studying the separated end.   
  
"How much?" Leena echoed "Well...I'll give it to you if you'll take it out of our garage. What an eyesore. But you'll owe me Cloud if you do take it."  
  
"How'd this happen?" I asked as I stood up and went to stand next to her. For once she didn't seem like her usual hydra self. She actually looked...nice. Bad Bit...Baaaad Bit. I shook my head and started to pay attention to what she was saying.  
  
"Well I had taken out my Gunsniper one day looking for caves when I found it. I'd found a new cave and when I walked into the cave I found it lying there just like it is now, except that it didn't respond to me. I called dad up over the intercom and told him to bring our largest hover cargo. He came with a team, crane, and a large hover cargo. We brought the Liger back here, but whenever we made attempts to repair it they all seemed to come un-done somehow. It was like we spent all sorts of time and money repairing it then someone would come in and purposefully sabotage all our work. It drove me nuts that's for sure. I finally stopped trying and just left it there. Dad stopped a few months after I did. I have no idea why I brought it back."   
  
"Well White Liger's are rare, this is my first time even seeing one. I can have it?" Leena nodded. I mentally whooped for joy.  
  
"I don't think you're going to get any farther than I did, but hey it's system isn't frozen anymore, and it was frozen when I worked on it. Well I think it was frozen." She had a queer look on her face as she said it. "But I couldn't even get the cockpit open! This is the first time I've even seen it move."   
  
"Well, if you can't get it to work then I'll for sure get it to work. You can't do anything right." She was always messing SOMETHING up. "Anyway," I said ignoring the outraged look on her face and her outraged gasp. "I'll come pick it up tomorrow. See you at 8?"   
  
"If your late then you might as well as go back home Bit Cloud, cause you won't be getting this Liger. Get out of here. I'll talk to you tomorrow if I can get through all your egotism."(if you understood what it is I just typed congratulations! I deem you smart enough to get through the rest of this fic! lol, n/m, ignore my comments) I walked out and Liger growled what can be presumably be a good-bye.   
  
"I'll see you tomorrow buddy." I replied softly to Liger and walked out to my car. The tires squeeled as I pulled out onto the highway.*Sheesh, I came here looking for parts and I end up with two halves of a Liger. I can't believe they just left it there! They didn't even keep it maintained! The nerve of them. Good thing I got ahold of him. Under my repairs, and watchful eye he'll be even newer than new.*   
***  
A large hover cargo pulls up to the Tauros's garage. Bit hops down and walks up to Doc Tauros's front door. Doc answers Bit's ring.  
  
"Hey, I'm here to pick up the Liger."   
  
"The Liger-0? What can you possibly expect to get out of trying to repair it anyway?" said Doc Tauros. "I'm sure Leena's told you all about it by now."  
  
"Nothing, I just feel the need to try and repair it. Leena gave it to me anyway. Is there anything else I need to have or anything else that would cost extra?"   
  
"Nope..., well maybe." says Doc "It'll cost you though. There are three battle components that I bought for it at a junk show. $3,000 extra apiece sound fair?" I nodded  
  
"Sure, my accountant will send the money after I get home. What does the 0 in Liger's name stand for anyway?" I stepped inside as Doc made way.  
  
"The 0? Oh it's a little nickname I gave it because none of the repairs would stick. Get it? 0 repairs, Liger-0? Well never mind. Come on I'll lead you through the back. Do you wanna see the components?" asked Doc Tauros  
  
"Ya, I wanna make sure I'm not getting gypped, no offense Doc."   
  
"It's OK, this way." The rest of the trip to the garage passed in silence. When we passed the Liger-0 it raised it's head and growled a greeting through clenched jaws. Doc did a double take.   
  
"He's never done that before. I thought it's system was still frozen." Doc said  
  
"That's what Leena said too." I replied, a bit haunted.  
  
"Let's keep going." said Doc. He lead me around the Liger to some multi-colored boxes set atop one another that reached the ceiling. "The blue box holds the Jeager, the orange the Schneider, and the green the Panzer. I think there was a red box once with the Gallant components too, but I guess that they got sold separately. Look them over real quick, I want to get you on your way as quickly as possible. Are you sure you've got room on your hover cargo for them?"  
  
"Yep, I got a couple of Gustavs and the biggest holding platform I could find." I looked them over quick then walked back to Liger. "Ya here that? I'm gonna fix you, and this time you'll stay fixed. If you promise to be my partner I won't let anything happen to you. I'll fix you then we'll battle and win. We'll be the best there is. Wait here, I'll go get my Gustav." The last was to the waiting Doc.   
The Liger pieces and the components secured, Bit slowly makes the trip back to his repair shop 50 miles away.  
One week later.  
"All right, slowly, slowly, I SAID SLOWLY!" I was supervising the crane operator who was placing the Liger halves into the cradle we had constructed. It had taken a week to clean the Liger armor, oil all the joints to make them moveable again and construct a platform to support him. Now this idiot was swinging the Liger front half around like a doll and jeopardizing all I had worked to create. "Get outta here." I said disgusted in the driver. I shouldered the operator out and the crane came to a stop. I very slowly and gently placed the Liger front half in the cradle, where the back half already waited. Tedious work. I grabbed the intercom mike from inside the pit of the crane and started intoning instructions.  
  
"Hey everyone, listen up. I need teams A, Q, M, and P to grab their equipment and meet me in the middle. JT I need you to run to Auron's, come up here to get this list of parts I need. Mickey go with him. Now Sammy..." Work like this is always the most boreing.  
  
TWO WEEKS LATER LIGER'S HANGER  
A soft snoring comes from the left flank of the Liger-0. Liger wakes.   
Liger rumbles. The only thing left of his original armor was his face plates. He discovers his right hind leg was partially functional along with his tail which he flexes it experimentally. Liger rumbles his pleasure and nearly wakes Bit. A soft glow encases Liger's whole rightside. The glow fades Liger flexes his toes and whis his tail experimentally. Bit snorted in his sleep and rolled over onto his side. Liger lets out a growl that can assumable be laughter.  
***  
I stirred in my sleep. Shit. I'd fallen asleep beside Liger again. I stretched and wiped away some drool on the side of my mouth then made my way to the crowd surrounding the Liger.   
"Hey, move it. What's goin' on?!" I muttered under my breath. Brad walked over.   
  
"Hey Bit. I see your awake. We were about to start working on the Liger again when it tried to move. Bit..., it used three feet to move, not two. The right leg is fully functional. It stopped trying to move about the time you stopped snoring."  
  
"Hold on a sec, I do not snore."   
  
"Yes you do. I could hear you all the way across the Liger."  
  
"No, I don't."  
  
"Yes you do."   
  
"No, I don't. Wait a minuet what did you say about the Liger?"   
  
"You really are impossible. C'mere. Closer, closer." I placed my ear right next to Brad's mouth. "I said THE LIGER-0'S RIGHT LEG IS FULLY FUNCTIONAL!"   
  
"Ahhhhhhhh, did you have to do that?" I rubbed my ear. I knew I shouldn't have done that. He always does something like that.   
  
"Yes, you can't seem to hear anything unless your two inches away from the person speaking." Brad replied.   
  
"Well I have to see who did all this work. HEY EVERYONE! WHO DID ALL THIS WORK!" I shouted over the crowd. Everyone went silent. Liger rumbled. "SPEAK UP NOW! C'MON YOU GUYS WHO DID ALL THIS WORK?" The crowd still stayed silent, again Liger rumbled louder, this time. "WELL IF NO ONE'S GOING TO TALK THEN YOU CAN ALL GET BACK TO WORK. C, F, and G teams I need you to run another diagnostic." What the hell had gotten into everyone? Had they all just decided to work on it over time last night while I was asleep? No one raised their voice to speak except--! Nahhhh... It's just my imagination.   
***  
"Reports sir!" chorused C, F, and G teams representatives.   
  
"Well get on with it then." I was very impatient. I was spending to much time with Leena.   
  
"G team found improvements, nothing wrong now with the right hind leg! Left hind leg is still not functional."   
  
"F team says ditto!"  
  
"C team says ditto also!"   
  
I sighed "I was afraid of that. He was really answering me." I muttered. What was it wit this thing?  
  
"Huh?" they echoed.   
  
"Never mind, before you go you have new assignments. A bashed up Dibison was brought in yesterday, and I saw a pair of Stormsworders come in the day before that. I need diagnostics on all of the above, and the Stormsworders need to have their ion boosters torn down, and even before you start I need one of you to go get Jack or someone from the X team. Dismissed." I walked over and looked out the lonely window of my office.   
  
"X here." Jack strode into the room a short while later. "You rang?"  
  
"Ya I rang. We've got another X. Why else would I have asked you to get your lazy ass out of your chair?"  
  
"That Liger? You must be kidding. I don't think an X would let something like that happen to   
itself."   
  
"I'm dead serious."  
  
"Well then, which half?" My fist was a blur. Jack found himself on the floor instead of his own two feet. Guess those classes paid off after all.  
  
"Watch it. That's my future partner your talking about." My voice was filled with ice. It even chilled me for a second. "I want you to find where the component is located. When you do, come back tell me, and I'll give you a new assignment."   
  
"OK, I'll find it then report back to you." Jack mock-saluted me and walked to the door. "If you ever get that bucket of bolts working make sure to challenge me. Me an' Saix'll give you a good battle." The door slammed behind him.   
"What a jerk."  
***  
"You were lucky. The X is in it's right fore leg. I bet if it had been anywhere else the thing wouldn't have been able to repair itself. I'm also guessing that had it been in the back legs you wouldn't be able to restore it at all. Asuming it can." His report was as complete as always. I wished he'd go back to being a merc. It would have made things so much easier. And harder; can't live with them can't live with out them.  
  
"K well, pull teams L, Q, D, S, and R off the left leg. Send S and R to the top and start them there. Send Q and D to the middle. Send L to the Dibison and have them start on it. Joshua has that case. I also need you to get the Y team out and put them on the silver Stormsworder. The light blue one will have to wait. As for the rest of the X team have them work on the bottom. I'll talk to you when I get done with the paperwork."   
***  
5DAYS LATER  
"The laser you ordered is here." said Brad as he walked in.  
  
"K, I'll be down in a minute. Anything else?" I yawned. I hadn't gotten mach sleep last night, because some of the repairs had been coming undone. I'd had to re-do them all myself. I was begining to doubt weather it was worth working on this thing after all. I still had at least another month of working on it if things kept ocming un-done.   
  
"Well,...yes. The left leg of Liger is almost 1/2 of the way to being repaired. The middle is half way. But things keep coming undone. The only ones that are sticking are the ones you, me, and Jack are doing. Why don't you just pull everyone off. We can finish it off ourselves, and put the rest of the teams to better use. We still haven't hardly started on the second Stormsworder." He began to pace. "Leena called yesterday asking for you, but you said you were too busy to talk." He looked a little angry. "You wanna know what's wrong? Strange prints, weird noises, and parts lying around in the middle of nowhere. And these are parts no Zoid could go without. She says she thinks she found a half of a leg, and some ion booster parts. She was waaaaayyy creeped out. Shit, Bit then there's you moving around like a friggin' zombie. All you've been doin' is work, work, work on that damn Liger of yours. It's been weeks since we went clubbing or drinking." I stared the whole time. He had to be nuts. The Liger? Not a chance. True the GS Nightmare had been horrible, but when I searched my memory for what had happened all I could find was some blank spots, and--red, lots of red. The silence stretched, as he let his words sink in.(they of course did not, Bit has that kind of mental armor that only lets in what he want's to hear, the rest just bounces off.) I spoke first.   
  
"You don't get it, do you? The last time I felt a pull like this was with that GS Nightmare. It was all I could think of. Look where it got me. Class S! I was in friggin' class S! You were there! This time the pull is so much stronger there's no way I can ignore it. If you want the teams off it fine, take them. The only thing I'll be working on will be the Liger. Till then don't even try to sway me."  
  
"Yes lets look at where piloting the GS Nightmare got you." Brad paced faster. "Half crazy and half dead before it decided it was done with you. Christ Bit the thing nearly killed you. It was an X and it was crazy. Who's to say this Liger isn't the same way? I've heard of one other X besides the Liger-0 and the GS Nightmare was the something called the Berserk Fuhrer(pronounced Fury). And it was crazy. It nearly killed it's pilot because it wouldn't listen. But the legend also said a Liger defeated it." He said the last to himself rather than to me "That's beside the point, it's just a legend. What if you suddenly find yourself ejected from the cockpit then mashed up into tiny pieces by it. What if Liger is worse?" Brad had come up to my desk and was standing over me trying to look menacing.   
  
"You still don't get it? The Nightmare was to teach me a lesson I'm guessing. To prepare me for Liger I think. He was meant for me." I said the last with a ferocity that it even scared me a little. It looks like I was into scaring my self a lot lately. Brad took a step back. "I'm tired of trying to explain it to you. Tell the teams their new assignments." I stood and escorted Brad to the door. Brad looked faintly annoyed as he turned to look me in the face. I slammed the door in his face.  
***  
Nine days later  
I yawned. ~It's way to late to be doin this, Brad's right, I need to get out a little more.~   
"Don't worry Liger, only a few more adjustments. Flex your toes if you already know that, and are waiting for me to get to the cockpit." Liger flexed his toes. "Well three out of five is pretty good. For now that is." Brads words still followed him. ~What if Liger was worse than the GS Nightmare? No that's impossible.~ I shook my head. But still...the Nightmare had done something to me that was horrible, but I couldn't put my finger on what. Liger rumbled impatiently. "Ya ya, I'm coming." Still I stalled. Liger still wouldn't support itself. Even a leg a 1/4 of the way repaired could support itself. But Liger wouldn't do it. Liger growled deeper this time more impatient and urging. "All right already I'm comin'." Earlier this after noon I had tried to cut open the face plate armor to get into the cockpit. It hadn't worked though, the beam had bounced off and had cut down a piece of the scaffolding that held up the Liger. It had taken the rest of the day reconstruct it. It had taken me long enough to deem him repaird enough to even try the laser. I walked over to Ligers face plates which obliging swung open to reveal a clean cockpit. Liger started to glow, starting with his tail and slowly moving up to the cockpit. I stopped in my tracks. Liger growled encouragingly. I wanted to desperately back away, but fascination over came fear and I walked the rest of the way. I took the last step. The glow intensified steadily as I buckled myself in until it was almost too bright to see what I was doing. Liger roared and tossed his head. It was something victorias and violent at the same time, and I knew I didn't want to be on the receiving end of that roar. The light erupted like a small atom bomb, minus the devastating effects. ~How could Brad have ever thought Liger was crazy? He was imperfect, broken, then I came and made him whole again. Now we're unbeatable.~ Liger swept the scaffolding away.   
"Give her another shake. C'mon Liger lets ditch this place." Liger shook and snapped off the cables that had held him in place and leaped forward with a vigor not see before, and we soon left the shop behind. Many houses were spotted and left behind in a few leaps. Liger eventually juggled his shoulders more than a normal leap bounced and the control board flashed ion boosters. "All right lets try these puppies out." I punched a few buttons and the ion boosters flared to life. "Yeehaw!" I laughed along with Liger's triumphant roar. Things zipped by even faster than before. BOOM! BOOM! Two bright flashes accompanied by a defeated snarl broke through Liger's gallop. Liger changed course immediately and charged at the place where the flashes had been never slowing for an instant. "What the--Liger? Where are we going? Liger hold on, wait a minute!" It was to late though we were already there. A broken Red Blade Liger lay on the ground, with the pit door open. One of it's blades was stuck into the ground a few yards away.  
"Aw crap! Jesus, Liger why'd you-- shit." I finally recognized the armor and the injured pilot half sprawled out of it. "Lemme down Liger." I jumped down, too impatient to wait for Liger. "Leon LEON! Come on wake up! Leon!" The only response was a weak groan from Leon. I carefully looked him over. There was a nasty gash over one eyebrow, and his left arm was twisted at an odd angle. The head wound was bleeding profusely. There was a less serious gash on the left arm. All the while Liger had his own conversation with an unknown Zoid. "Liger get down here, we gotta get him to a hospital." Liger growled (something probably meant to be under his breath) and bent down and admitted Bit and Leon to the cockpit. ~We aren't gonna make it in time, we're to far from town, and even if I use the boosters the way there we still won't make it! No we have to get there in time!~ Liger took off, boosters on full blast. The screen flashed a few minutes later. Ion leap eh? "What the hell." I murmured to no one in particular, and pressed in the sequence. Liger leaped--and was at the city gates? ~What the hell?~ I squirmed in my seat, What happened to my back? It was raw agony to move. Liger trotted to the hospital. I looked down at my watch it was 5:55, only a minute had passed. ~Another thing for me to try to figure out. We musta been 100 somethin' miles from town! How could we have gotten here in just one minute?~ Leon groaned again shaking me from my reverie.   
  
"Bit?"  
  
"Shhhhhh. Talk later. Liger down." Liger let us down and I stormed in*well as much as I could with a burnt back, and Leon flung over one of my shoulders*seething over what had happened to Leon.  
"YO! NURSES! DOCTORS! I NEED A LITTLE HELP AROUND HERE!" several nurses rushed to help me with my burden.  
  
"Bit...you...have to...go....get......my...Blade..Bit! Go get him!" That was all I saw and heard of him for a couple of days. What Blade was he talking about? I carefully stretched and walked out to Liger. Who was no longer there. I swore under my breath.  
  
"Liger! LIGER!" I called his name over and over again while running down this street to the next. Right, left, left, right, down this alley, up this street, backing tracking some times, and finally I let out one last cry. Liger was gone, and not likely to come back. It looked like Brad was right. "Liger..." I dropped to my knee's too exhausted to move.   
***  
"Ughhhhhhhh..." I groaned and opened my eyes. {Across town the Liger's eyes flared to life.} How'd I get back here? "Ahhhhhhh!" I tried to flip over onto my back to discover that was far more painful . At least no else was on the room to see.   
"So your finally awake." I stand corrected. I looked to my right and saw Leon...and Leena looking over at me. I hastily covered up my ass before Leena saw.   
  
She laughed "Oh don't worry Bit I've seen better asses then yours. Plus it doesn't matter now. I saw the whole show already while you were asleep."   
  
"Did you?" Leon spoke up abruptly  
  
"Did I what?" I asked defensively  
  
"Did you find my Blade?"  
  
"What Blade are you talking about?" It dawned on me suddenly. I can be so slow some days, though I'm sure Leena would definitely say something different than that. "You mean your Blade Liger?"   
  
"Do you know of any other Blade? Oh wait sorry you weren't around when I was, so you never really saw it. Yes my Blade Liger where is it? Did you find it? By the way how did you find me?" he repeated.  
  
"Sorry Leon, Liger ran of after I dropped you off here. So I didn't have anything to go and try to find it in. I ran out and tried to find him and wound up here myself. Why am I here?" Stupid question "And I didn't find you Liger did. I would have passed you by completely if he hadn't targeted those blasts. You probably would still be there now. What happened to YOU anyway? What were you doing out there anyway?"   
  
"Long story short me and Blade were out for a run and this...this thing came out of nowhere! The only thing I know for sure was that It's attack came from the air. Did you happen to see it before it got away?"   
  
I shook my head. "Are you sure Leon? When I found you one of your Blade Liger's blades was snapped off. That most likely indicates it was a ground based attack. And before we got too far away I looked back and I saw some pretty odd prints. Are you positive?"   
  
"Oh it flew all right. My guess is that it had blades that stuck out in attack mode like a Stormsworders got. Remember that Pierce lady who had a had one like that? She brought down Jamie before we could."  
  
"I don't know. The only thing I truly know is that I need to get back to the shop." I tried to get up. "Ahhhhh!" White hot pain laced it's way up my back. I fell back against my pillows and didn't try that again.   
  
"Heya Bit, what happened to the Liger?" Leena asked tentatively. "For that matter how'd you even get it out of the garage?" I propped myself up my elbows as gently and slowly as possible then turned to look full on at her. The weight of losing Liger still weighed on me, but I knew he'd come back one day.   
  
I shrugged as best I could. "I fixed him, we went out for a long awaited run, and found Leon. We brought him back here, and Liger disappeared. I went looking for him, didn't find anything and,...well, fainted. How'd I get here?" They still wouldn't answer me.   
  
Finally Leena piped up. "No one knows. You just...appeared on the door step. Literally. Someone heard something and came out to check and found you there. The nurse who found you said she saw a white and black Zoid disappearing around a building before she got one of those hospital bed thingies(sorry I know the name, I just forgot it right now.) and got you in. One of the nurses recognized you as 'the cute guy who brought the beaten up guy in' " Leena snorted at this. "and got both of you in the same room." I sighed. I really needed to get back to the shop. I turned carefully onto my side and probed my back carefully and winced at the slightest touch. I slowly made my way standing, and Leena and Leon returned to their conversation. I walked over to the closet and found my clothes neat and pressed. I walked into the bathroom, dressed, and was about to leave when a doctor came in.   
  
"Ahhhhhh damn."   
  
"And where do you think your going Mr. Cloud? Get back in that bed." I raised my eyebrows. Mr. Cloud? Heh...  
  
"I was...ummm...just sitting down again." I finished lamely. I slowly lowered myself back onto the bed, and submitted to the doctors 'tests'. She made those stupid "hmmmmm" and "uh huh" noises that everyone hates so much. Pissed me off; I had places to go. "Can you hurry it up a little? I have a shop to run and I haven't been there for management for--what's today? I've been here for three days?!" I got up and walked out, ignoring the Doctors protests, my anger blocking the pain. It would be chaos back at the shop, unless that leech Joshua had actually taken up some responsibility for once. Which I seriously doubted. He was my "partner" in business, but everyone knew who ran the place; I was chief mechanic too. The only thing he knew how to do was count money, plus find hard to get parts. "I've definitely gotta get a new business manager. Maybe Jamie would want it. He's pretty good at that stuff." I muttered under my breath. I hailed a cab and had him drive me back to my shop.   
***  
Hanger 3,4,5, and 6 are empty, 1 and 2 are each filled with a Stormsworder, and the Dibison was moved to 8. 7 is a wreck from the damage Liger did to it. There is a new Red Blade Liger in 9. 10 is filled with who knows what.  
I got out and found a few people milling about my main office. I spotted Naomi, Jack, Jamie, Brad, and Doc Tauros all in one separate group, and everyone else in a few other scattered groups. I walked over to them, carefully shrugging my bandages into a more comfortable position. Jamie spotted me and waved me over to their group.   
  
"Heya Jamie what's up? Why's every one out here? That Dibison should have been fixed two days ago. The Stormsworders should have been gone day before that. And where'd that Blade Liger come from anyway? Isn't that Leons?" The questions rushed out before I could stop them. Jamie only looked at me and shrugged.  
  
"I have no idea." Jamie replied sheepishly.  
  
"Doc you would know. Spill it." Brad demanded.   
  
"Well that Blade Liger is Leon's, but Bit, where have you been? You were supposed to come by to look over those parts again. What happened to Leon anyway? I didn't know anything was wrong with him." replied Doc Tauros.  
  
"Some father you are." I muttered. "I found Leon Monday with a broken arm and what looked like a concussion, half in and half out of his Liger. I brought him to the hospital and went back out to bring Liger back to the shop. Who was gone, Liger I mean. When I find that traitor I'll dismantle him myself."  
  
"Hey Bit Joshua ran off with a whole mess of parts and a lot of money. Thought I'd let you know." Brad said.   
Naomi blinked and cut in, before I could say anything. "Liger? You mean that beat up Zoid you've been working on for the last month? I didn't think you could fix it that quickly. I didn't even think it was possible to fix something that beaten up. I mean Jesus it's two ends were separated." Naomi shook her head. "Heya Bit why don't you go look in that hanger over there. I think it's 10? I thought I saw something black and white in there. That's the color of your Zoid right?" I nodded numbly and walked over to hanger 10. Inside was--Liger?! So he hadn't left me! I ran as fast as my back permitted me to.  
  
"Liger what are you doing here? Why'd you run out on me?" Liger got up and walked out to stand next to me. I looked him up and down looking for-- "Aw crap Liger those took me a week to restore!" His ion boosters were little more than the armor that encased them. "C'mon, I've gotta introduce you to the rest of the team." Liger followed me with no qualms. "Just where did you go anyway?" I muttered to him absently, I was trying to estimate how much it was going to take to fix them. He rumbled in reply. I looked up, we were only a few yards away from Doc and the group. "Hey everyone I'd like you to meet Liger. Brad will you get on the intercom and have everyone come to the test grounds? Thanks. Tell everyone that Bit has to show them why he's been gone so long." Liger knelt down and the pit opened. I climbed up as carefully as I could. The morphine must be wearing off, I thought. I was still trying to think of something impressive to do. "Hmmmmmmm...That'll have to do, I don't have time to change armor." I murmured as I buckled myself in. I walked Liger walked out to the practice fields. A large group of my employees were milling about back here also, with a few trickling in from my main office. A lot of people turned to stare as Liger walked out onto the field. The pit hatch opened.   
"Hey everyone! I know some of you recognize Liger from when you worked on him, and now to show you the fruits of your work I'll give a little demonstration. Questions later." Some of the higher ranking employees had been startled at my appearance and undoubtedly had a lot of questions for me to answer. Liger closed his head and I walked him out onto the field. The were large steel and wood walls for targeting set up--Perfect. The crowd that had gone silent when I had spoken now raised it's voice to demand to know where the hell I had been. I walked Liger out to the end of the field. From there I pushed him into a full sprint, all the while weaving in and out of the targeting walls. The last one loomed ahead. The screen flashed Strike Laser Claw. Even better finale. I pressed in the sequence. "STRIKE LASER CLAW!" Liger roared as he sliced cleanly through the last wall. I we came to a halt in front of the group and Liger let me down. Behind me I heard wall groan then the two pieces fell over, landing with a great clanking crash, mirrored by the gasps and cheering from our audience. Doc's mouth almost touched the ground. Jamie looked equally impressed. Jack looked as nonchalant as ever, and Brad and Naomi looked a little impressed.   
  
"So Doc...will you let me back on the team? I'm gonna need a little time to get the shop in order, you know with Joshua runnin' off like that, then I'm gonna be gone too, well if you let me back on that is."   
  
"How could I not let you back on after seeing that? Brad? Jamie? Will you join us again?"   
  
Brad nodded his head along with Jamie.   
"What are you going to tell Leena Doc? I bet she'll flip at the thought of Bit coming back. Are you sure you don't want to go merc?" Brad said.   
  
I shook my head. "No, I'm gonna stay with the Blitz team." I felt my mouth curve into my usual grin. "Besides, I'm just gonna have to be more careful." I said cockily. "I'll talk to you later guys, I need to get the shop back into order again." I walked away from the group and into my office. A few of the people who had worked on Liger congratulated me on the renovation of him. My back pain, which had gone away when I had taken Liger on our run, had started it's way back up my back, accompanied by an extreme itchiness. I shrugged the bandages into a different position. I walked into my office to--chaos. At least one member of every group was in this tiny cramped space. I slammed the door. Everyone one turned to look at me, then barraged me with at least every question that came to mind.   
  
"QUIET!" No one even paused in their questions. "GOD DAMNIT I SAID QUIET!" It was like the light's went out. I sighed. "All right, everyone..." This was going to be one long ass day.   
Liger's Hanger 2 days later  
"How's that feel? All right, then all we have to do is get to the Tauros's intact and we'll be fine." It had taken two days to repair the damaged ion boosters. I'd done some wheeling and dealing for the extra parts Leena had found and had reconstructed the ion boosters the Stormsworders had left behind. They'd left yesterday along with the Dibison. Leon's Blade Liger...looked as if it had never even been sabotaged. No one had even touched it either, I'd checked. I couldn't guess how it had gotten there, but then again, I couldn't guess how Liger had been repaired. I'd taken care of most of the shop business, and had left my friend Matt Storm in charge. Leon had gotten out of the hospital yesterday afternoon, and was coming to meet me here today. Huh, I wonder where he is? He said he'd be here by now. I walked over and sat on Liger's claws.   
"Hey Liger you think we'll be any good?" I'd been worrying over this for a while now. Sure we could dodge and use a few weapons fine, but how would it really be in combat? Liger growled encouragingly. "Wait till you meet Leena." I grinned. Liger gave his laugh growl. Leon walked in, complete with sling and bandages.   
"Heya Bit, did you find my Blade Liger? Dad said you'd found it. Do you know where he is?" His anxiety was thick enough to walk on.  
  
"Hey Leon. I didn't exactly find your Blade. I think Liger did. That doesn't matter. C'mon, I'll  
show you were he's being kept." I jumped off Liger's claws and led him to hanger nine where his  
Red Blade Liger stood waiting.   
  
"He's OK!" Leon ran over to his Liger. I smiled, they looked perfect together. Mike head   
secretary of my office and one of my new managers ran over.   
  
"Bit, I've got a problem. Joshua just marched in, demanding access to your vaults. Bit   
you--hurry!" He ran back the way he came.  
  
"Awww damnit, Leon I've gotta run." I called over my shoulder as I ran after Mike. ~What the   
hell is he doing? Marching in there, demanding that he have access.~ I shook my head. ~When I   
get my hands on him, he'll wish he'd never thought of sponsoring me.~ I smiled(they say a smile   
is just another form of a snarl, it's just another fway of baring your teeth.). I walked into my   
office to find Mike and Brad trying to fend off Joshua and a couple of hired goons that weren't   
firmiliar to me. A couple of employees already lay on the floor. I took out the one on the left with   
a right hook, and a knee to the crotch, the same time Brad took out the one on the right. Mike   
was still trying too keep Joshua off him. I grabbed the back of Joshua's shirt and spun him   
around.   
  
"Well, I see we have some trash lying around Brad." He bloodshot eyes tried to focus me. Brad   
walked over and stood beside me.   
  
"What da yaou tink yaour doin'! Thiss iths my rightfual offthice. Geth your sorry asses outa   
here." he slurred. I snorted. He was drunk out of his mind. Brad and I laughed. I was surprised   
that he'd made it that long against Mike. I wiped a tear away from my eye.  
  
"Do you want the honors, or should I have them?" Brad asked.  
  
"Be my guest."   
  
"No I possibly couldn't. You first."  
  
"But I insist! Ladies first." I grinned and bowed and gestured to Joshua who was tottering on his feet.   
He fell over his feet as he took a wild swing at me. I dodged nimbly, my back not hampering me   
anymore. It had healed almost magically.   
  
"Awwwww, I couldn't hurt a pitiful creature like that.(I should really be writing DBZ fanfics, not   
Zoid ones) Come on grab one of his arms and I'll get his feet. Mike would you please call the   
police then grab some rope? We don't want our little traitor getting away now do we? Oh ya and  
tell the security guards to bring me the tape from the last hour. The cops are gonna need some   
proof of what just happened." Mike walked out and Jack walked in, with Leon hot on his tail.   
  
"I was walking by hanger nine, when Leon ran out. I ran out after thinking he was trespassing.   
He explained what was going on, and I rushed ahead of him, what's really going on here?" Jack   
demanded.  
  
"It's like I told you," said Leon from behind Jack. "He came(indicates Mike) rushing into the   
garage and told Bit that Joshua had come in and was demanding money and Bit took off after,...   
sorry I didn't catch you name(he indicates Mike again), and I made sure there was nothing wrong   
with my Liger and took off after Bit. I bumped into you in the hall. That's what happened." I   
nodded.  
  
"Ya I walked in on the last offense, and finished off one of his thugs. Brad I think got most of   
them before I came in." Brad nodded.  
  
"Mmmmm hmmmmm. Mike and some other employees held them off for a while, but as you can   
see they didn't last." Snores drifted up fro where Joshua lay. I looked down. He was sleeping like   
a baby.   
  
"Sorry Jack, you missed all the fighting." He shrugged.  
  
"At least you can get your money back and pay us now. Unless he already spent it in his drunken   
stupor."   
  
"I bet he gambled it all away, then expected when he came for more I'd give it willingly." I   
sneered. The cops sirens could be heard outside. They stormed into my office.   
  
"Freeze! Get your hands up!"(always wanted to say that.) said one cop.   
  
"It's all right! It's all right! We've already apprehended the theifs!" I shouted to the cops,   
repeating it over and over, but I put my hands up obediently with everyone else.   
  
One officer nodded his head, and lowered his gun. "Stand down officers. It's all clear. You may  
put your hands down now. Where are the real thieves?" I nudged Joshua with my boot a little   
harder than necessary(hehehehehe they're steel toed too) and then pointed out his cronies. Brad,   
Jack, and Leon stayed quite and let me take care of things.   
  
"This is Joshua Stallin, once my accountant, but I went away on a little unexpected adventure, and   
he looted my shop of some valuable parts and an unnamable amount of money. He came back  
today, probably intending to do the same as hem had while I was gone and he met our resistance,   
which we calmly put him Dan his buddies down." I explained. "If you need more evidence I've got   
it recorded on video. Is there any possible way to recover the money and stolen parts?"   
Officer-- I looked down at his badge, Sinkew nodded as he took all that down.   
  
"All right then. All I need is the confirmations of everyone involved then we can go. If you plan to   
press charges I'd make a copy or two of that video and keep one close to you. The only way to   
recover the parts and money is if you know how much money was stolen, and which parts belong   
to you. G'day to you." He walked over to Mike who had come back into the room after the cops   
and started questioning him. Brad was being questioned by another female cop. He wore a slightly   
flirtatious smile on his face.   
She was blushing furiously, and all I could do was shake my head. ~It just goes to show, even   
under the worst of circumstances he's still the 'Eligible Bachelor' waiting to pick up any  
woman in sight.~ I shook my head and stood around answering anyone else's questions till the  
police decided that we had told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us   
God. I walked out to Liger's hanger and hopped up and sat on Liger's claws.   
"Good thing he didn't try to take us with Zoids eh partner?" Liger roared, and I sighed. "I know."  
I grinned. "Woulda been funner if he had though, don't you think?" Liger rumbled, and I laughed.   
Leon and Brad walked in, probably talking about what had just happened. My theory didn't prove   
me wrong.  
  
"So whadda make of what just happened Bit? You think we should go to the station and see if   
he'll talk?" Brad asked.  
  
I shook my head. "I don't think he'll be doing more than asking for a lawyer. When he comes   
around that is. Did either of you recognize any of the thugs who came with him? The only one I   
barely recognized was that little snitch Brad took down last. I don't think going down to the   
station will do any good." I looked at my watch, and cursed under my breath. "Guy's, I gotta go,   
there was Saber Fang, an Iron Kong, and a Cannon Tortoise that were supposed to come in for diagnostics today. I have to go meet their pilots in five." I jumped down from Liger's claws, said goodbye, then walked to the lobby to wait for the pilots. ~I wonder who those people were...That little snitch Brad took down looked firmilliar. Musta seen him at a bar or something.~ I shrugged to myself. ~Where're those pilot's anyway?~ I got up as a man with brown hair and a couple of robot's walked in. ~I thought there were three pilots not robots...hmmmm.~ I walked up to them.  
  
"Hi, welcome to Bit's Body's Pit. I'm the owner Bit Cloud and the head technician." Formal is as formal does.   
  
"I'm Harry Champ, and I as born to be king(sorry I just had to write that)." He said with such pomposity it was hard not to laugh, but he was paying to see me so I restrained my self as best I could. "This is Sebastian(SP?) and Benjamin. THEY'RE the other pilots." he sniffed. So THIS is the famous Harry Champ. I'd heard all about him from Leena, but I'd never actually seen him. The last I'd heard he was in jail for giving unwanted attentions, or molestation, and he now had to stay at least 20 miles away from Leena or something like that. Heh...this was going to be interesting.   
  
"I'm sorry, it's just that we don't usually see any robots that aren't Zoids around here so, I assumed that they were servants or something." I shrugged and turned around and motioned for them to follow me. I mostly did it to cover up the grin that was winning a lost battle over my mouth. Harry followed with his nose in the air. ~If it goes any higher it's gonna touch the ceiling.~ I almost lost it then. I brought them to my office and we started the negotiations.   
  
"All right. So the Zoids need their annual checks? Thats it?" Harry nodded "Right then, I'll need you to bring your Zoids to hanger...let's see...the Zaber Fang will go in three, the Iron Kong in four, and the Cannon Tortoise in five." I typed it all into then computer and looked up. His nose was still in the air. My battlements finally fell, under the oncoming onslaught. I snickered. "Seen Leena lately Harry?" I kept my face firmly planted on the screen making the last little adjustments. From the corner of my eye I saw him turn beet red and started to stammer   
"How how dare you! How do you know that? Yoooooouuu! You better stay away from my Leena! If you lay one finger on her I'll I'll...!"   
  
"To late." I stood up and snickered "Just to let you know, she was a demon in the sack, but I think she needs a little more social skills." Sebastian and Benjamin had to hold Harry back from launching himself at me.   
  
"YOU, YOU LITTLE HENTAI (if you don't know what hentai is don't ask, it's probably better that you don't know)LOVER! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE MY LEENA! WHEN I GET THROUGH WITH YOU THERE WON'T ANYTHING LEFT AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" I was on the floor rolling with laughter. ~What..a....frikin'..dumnass!~ I was a while before I could stand up, but I finally managed. Benjamin had escorted Harry out, and Sebastion had waited behind to talk to me.   
  
"You really shouldn't have done that." Sebastion said.  
  
"Shouldn't have done what? Fuck her, or tell Harry that?" I snickered uncontrollably "Just between you and me Sebastion, the only thing I've ever been to Leena is a punching bag who steals her food. I've never even kissed her before. Go ahead and tell Harry, he'll never believe you. If you still want to do business bring your Zoids around to the hangers I mentioned before. They'll be done in...oh..about six hours minium. It probably will be longer, but you should come to check on them then anyway. Go do whatever you feel like till then, then come back to pick up your Zoids." Sebastion nodded and walked out. The door was open long enough for me to see Harry struggling with Benjamin which of course sent me off into riots of laughter again. When I gained control of myself I told the F, C, and G teams to go do what I paid them to do.   
Three days later  
"Finally! We're getting somewhere!" I'd delayed bringing Liger over to the Tauros's till all the police stuff had blown over. I'd finally brought Liger and all my stuff over today. Tomorrow we had our first battle. ~Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...it feels like coming home. And to make it all better, me and Liger have our first battle tomorrow.~ I walked to the kitchen which was un-inhabited at this moment. I peeked into the fridge. "All right! She hasn't cleaned it out yet!" I muttered under my breath. I pulled the shelf out and peeled back a piece of the fridge covering. Inside--~ohhhhhh Jackpot! A giant chocolate muffin, with gooey frosting, and tons of sprinkles lay inside the little coven in the back of the fridge. I reached in and grabbed the muffin. "Mmmmmmm...mmmmm!" I made those little contented sounds people make when they find something truly good. I licked the frosting from my fingers. I walked out of the kitchen and down to where Liger was being kept. Liger growled a greeting as I walked in. I hopped up on his claws.   
"Our first battle tomorrow. We're up against the Shooter's Team. Look's like we'll have to get in close before they get us. Think we should use any of the components?" Liger rumbled. "That's what I thought too. They've all got Gunsniper's so it shouldn't be to hard to bring them down with just the regular armor." Liger roared. "I know that too, but--"   
  
"BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Uh oh Liger looks like Leena found me. Will you lend me a hand?" Liger nelt down and the cockpit opened. I jumped in and Liger stood up as Leena stormed in. I watched her look through the garage, vainly trying to find me. She finally stormed out, still screaming my name. I laughed. "Looks like I'm going to have to tread a little softer around Leena now." Liger laughed/roared, and leaned down to set me down. "I'll see you later Liger, Jamie said he needed to see me, something about tactics or strategy." ~Since when have they ever worked for me anyway?~ I walked out just as Leena stormed down the same hall.   
"BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (we all know what happened, I might as well as not state the obvious^_^.)  
***  
"WARNING! WARNING! THE AREA WITHIN A TWENTY MILE RADIUS IS NOW A DESIGNATED BATTLE ZONE! BATTLE MODE 0982! READY...FIGHT!"   
Liger roared and lurched forward toward the Gunsniper that he had 'taken' for his target. The Sniper backed away under Liger's advances.   
  
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Leena laughed her manic laugh(if you've ever seen the show you know what I'm talking about.) "Wild Weasel Total Assault! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leena take down 'her' Gunsniper and run to help Brad with his. With my attention distracted my Gunsniper got away. "Damnit." I cursed softly, and pushed Liger into a sprint after him. On the other side of the battle things went a little more smoothly. Brad had blacked out the field and was firing at the floundering Gunsniper. Leena finished him off with another Wild Weasal Total Assault. Bit saw the tail of the Gunsniper disappear around a bend. "Heh...gotcha." Liger's claws started to glow. "STRIKE...LASER...[Bit rounded the dead end with the frightened looking Gunsniper at the back, it tried to fire a few shot's, but Liger was already above it.]CLAW!" Liger struck, the Gunsniper fell, one fore arm sliced cleanly away, it's midsection and a line down it's side and back sparking. Liger turned around and roared as it tossed it's head(you know what I'm talking about).  
"THE BATTLE IS OVER THE BATTLE IS OVER, AND THE WINNER IS...THE BLITZ TEAM!" With that the Judge capsule blasted back off into outer space.   
  
"That was awesome! We were great! C'mon lets go see how Brad and Leena are doing. Liger trotted out of the crooked canyon, and found Brad's Shadow Fox and Leena's Gunsniper standing next to each other. I opened a com link to each of them. "Hey what's up?" I said over the com-link.   
  
"Nothing much, we were just surprised that the battle ended so quick. I thought that team was supposed to be quite good for a low class. Let's go back in and see if daddy's got another battle lined up." Leena said.  
  
"All right, I'll meet you inside." I closed the com-link and walked Liger over to the hover cargo. BOOM! BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Shot's started to rain in from all sides. Caught unaware Liger was hit several times before he could effectively dodge the shelling. "DAMNIT! Where is all this fire coming from!" Brad yelled over the com-link. The com-link's had re-opened.   
  
"Over head!" Leena yelled over the com.  
  
"There!" Brad said. He began to fire rapidly above himself; Leena followed his example. I still couldn't see where the Zoid was. I couldn't do anything anyway, I had no weapons other than Liger's claws and teeth. I finally managed to get a good look at it. It looked like a Salamander, but there were several differences. It's neck was shorter, and it's head was feline shaped, not snakelike. It was like a combination of Zoid parts too; it had what looked like a Terris's wings, though they could have been Stormsworders; the body and tail of a Gunsniper, it had the arm's of a Geno Sauraus, and the legs of a Berserk Furher(pronounced Fury). BOOM! BOOM! "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" A blow to each side of Liger sent us flying, and we smashed into a over hang of rock, with the dislodged rocks on top of us. Liger struggled, but couldn't get up!   
  
"Bit! Let's get outa here, I can't hit it, and Brad isn't having anymore luck! We haveta get outa here!" Leena screeched over the com-link.  
  
"Get outa here! I can't Liger up!" I couldn't even get the cockpit open. "Damnit Liger get up! We have to get outa here before we get shot! C'mon Liger get up!" Liger tried to get up again, but was neatly pinned between two rocks. "Liger!" I could feel the shots coming from up above, but they were only chipping the rock. I could tell t would only take a few more to free us, but it seemed that the unknown Zoid pilot didn't. The un-known Zoid screeched it's fury[a cross between the Liger's roar, the Shadow Fox's yip, and the Berserk Furhr's screech.(very creepy if you can actually understand what it is I'm imagining it sounds like)], and I heard it's boosters kick in and begin to fly away. "Bit Cloud?" so the unknown Zoid had a pilot after all!   
  
"Ya, whadda ya want?" I demanded.   
  
"Know this Bit Cloud, continue on this journey you've started and I will be there to finish it before your ready to end it yourself. We will meet again." With that the pilot flew off. I patched into the hover cargo. "Doc!!!!!!!!! Get me outa here!" Liger was still trying to free himself. Liger tossed his head and dislodged a few rocks from it.   
  
"I'm here Bit just hold on a minuet." The hover cargo pulled up and blasted a few top rocks away. Liger struggled to get out. One of the larger rocks began to fall on Liger.  
"DOC! WE NEED TO GET OUT NOW!" I screamed over the com-link.  
  
"Just a few more...There!" The large rock was blasted away. Liger's ion boosters fanned out and flared to life, and blasted us out of the little rockslide. The rocks that had been piled on top of us collapsed. "Man that was a close one." I murmured to myself. "I definitely need to get you a better arsenal." Liger roared.   
  
"Bit? Are you OK?" Doc said over the com-link.  
  
"Ya, we're fine. Only need to give the armor a little spit-shine. Hey Doc, you got an extra gun around, or some extra parts I could use? I'm lacking in that area. Coming in now." Liger trotted into the hover cargo where the Shadow Fox and Leena's Gunsniper already stood.   
***  
"So, did anyone hear that strange pilot just before it flew away?" I asked over a cup of coffee. Mmmmmmm...I just love those soothing effects.  
  
"Strange pilot?" Leena echoed. "I didn't hear anyone over the com-link."   
  
Brad shrugged off the comment "Musta been first day jitters." I shook my head.   
  
"I've never had first day 'jitters'. And besides, I've already taken Liger out a couple of times, and I never had 'jitters' at all. Not even piloting the GS Nightmare gave me 'jitters', and that thing gave me nightmares! Matter of fact, I've never had 'jitters'. There was someone in that Zoid, I just don't know who yet." I sat back and sipped my coffee. I tipped my chair a little farther. "Ahhhhhhhhh! Hot! Hot! Hot!" I ran over to the sink and stuck my head under the fount, and turned it on full blast. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" I sighed contentedly as the cold water washed over my face. When I looked up from the sink everyone but Brad was on the floor laughing. Brad looked faintly amused and took another sip of his coffee. (Bit face-faults)^_^;.(if you don't know what just happened let me fill you in. Bit spilled coffee all over his face when he tipped his chair over. When he emerged from under the sink his face looked like it had been put under a very high voltage tanning lamp for several days. hehehehehehehe.)   
  
"Hey! That's not funny! C'mon, guys this is serious, we have to figure out who it was!" Doc and Jamie slowly recovered from their laughing fits. Leena looked up for about five seconds then plunged back into her fits of laughter. She pulled up from her laughter momentairly.  
  
"Hahaahaahahaaha..Bit..haha..your just ima..hahehaehehaeh...imag....haeheeeheehaehaa..imagi..." She couldn't even finish.   
  
"Face it Bit, you were probably just hearing things. Call it...post battle stress." Brad sipped thoughtfully on his coffee. And began to lean back on his chair.   
  
"Whatever...If you won't believe me then why don't we go look at Liger's box?(a box is like a recording device that records every message or conversation that goes on between the teams) It'll prove for sure that I wasn't imagining things."   
  
Doc and Jamie began to snicker. "Just do it!" ~Why doesn't anyone ever believe me?~ I shook my head and walked out of the kitchen. ~I need a little pick-me-up.~ I grinned. ~Time for another raid. Heh, this'll get something out of her other than laughter.~ I walked to her room and rummaged around in her closet, looking for her little mini-fridge that she kept under a pile of "dirty" clothes. ~Found it.~ I opened the fridge door, and inside--~Even better than last time!~ I reached in and grabbed her stash of ooowwwwyyyy goooeeyyyy brownies. I stuffed a couple in my mouth and wrapped the rest up in the saran wrap I had found them in. ~Hmmmm...A bit stale. Bet she forgot they were there. Still good though.~ I walked down the hall to the kitchen and peered in. It was empty. ~Hmmmm...wonder where they all went?~ I walked in and opened the fridge. I placed the brownies in Leena's 'secret' compartment, walked to my room, then lay on my bed. ~...continue on this journey you've started and I will be there to see it's end, long before you would be comfortable to end it your self.~ Though I didn't remember it the next day the unknown pilots words were spoken again as if she or he were right next to me.   
***  
"We've got another battle coming up!" Doc said excitedly, as he turned around from the computer podium.   
  
"All right! Who're we up against?" I asked. I had finally got a new weapon, an underbelly gun, I was itching for battle. The only action I had seen over the last week was a combat between me and Leena. She hadn't noticed the brownies were gone, but she HAD noticed the muffins and the piece of cake that had gone missing. I swear to God I had nothing to do with it. Scout's honor. At least it was entertaining while it had lasted. I mentally shrugged.   
  
"We're up against the Fuzzy Panda's errrr...Ferocious Tigers Team. We've been up against them before, so it should be pretty easy to beat them. Bit, Brad, and Leena, I want you to go up against them. Should be easy to take out. Now excuse me I have to go finish my new model." He walked over to his desk, and began to glue some pieces together.~Doc and his toy's.~   
  
"This outta be easy then! Me and Liger'll take out before they can blink!" I balled one hand into a fist and struck it with the other. "How come we have to battle these guys anyway? I thought they dropped out right after we did."  
  
"Well they did, but I guess when they heard the Blitz team was coming back they couldn't resist the urge to get beaten again. Naomi, Jack, and Leon formed a team, so I guess they wanted a chance to battle us again." Brad shrugged. I stared at him open mouthed.  
  
"And where was I when all this happened?" I demanded.   
  
"You were either talking to Liger," he coughed, it sounded like'queer' "or sleeping."   
  
"Hey! You could have at least woken me up! And, I don't care what you think of me talking to Liger, you wouldn't understand anyway." I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, nodded knowingly.   
  
"Whatever." Brad threw up his arms and walked out.   
  
"Someone's grumpy." I muttered.   
***  
"You won't have a chance this time Bit! We've upgraded to 60 millimeter(someone tell me if I'm wrong) gatteling guns, and you're inexperienced with your new Liger; You've only had one battle, and that isn't nearly enough experience to beat us this time!" The leader of the Fuzzy Pandas(let's just come out and say it they really suck, even with new equipment)Panda's team said over the com-link. "WHO ARE WE?! NOT THE FUZZY PANDA'S, WE'RE THE FEROCIOUS TIGER'S TEAM, AND NO ONE WILL BEAT US!"  
"YA!" Echoed from the other pilots of the Panda's team. Their Saber Tiger's roared, and tossed their heads. Liger roared back, and the Shadow Fox yipped it's odd howl(type thing, does anyone know what it's called?)right along with Liger. Leena shook her head over the com-link.  
"WARNING! WARNING! THE AREA WITHIN A TWENTY MILE RADIUS IS NOW A DESIGNATED BATTLE ZONE! BATTLE MODE 0982! READY...FIGHT!" Liger roared and leaped at one of the Saber Tigers, which fired a few shots then leaped at Liger.   
  
"STRIKE....[Liger's claws began to glow and the two armor blades(those things on the side of his head; anyone know what they're called?)]LASER.....[Liger leaped on top of the charging Saber Tiger]CLAW!" Liger landed and the opposing Saber Tiger fell, one of it's legs cut cleanly away.   
Liger stood taller and roared over his victory(since when did Liger NOT win, except in that one ep with Jack and those other two girls with Lightning Saix's?). Liger turned around and fired at the Tiger that was dodging in and out of Leena's firing range, not staying long enough to get a good lock.   
Meanwhile, Brad had deployed his smokscreen and was running circles around the floundering Saber Tiger. He deployed his 60 millimeter gatteling gun, and was about to take the shot--the Tiger went down? But he hadn't fired a single shot...  
  
"The Hell?" Brad muttered to himself. Brad wheeled the Shadow Fox around and met a Hell Cat face to face.~Musta been sent out to get rid of me.~ He quickly fired at the startled Hell Cat, and felled it with out a second thought. He deployed more smoke and walked the Fox over to a small cluster of rocks. Too late though, it was already being used as a hiding place for a pair of Sand Scorpions, a pair of Rev Raptors, and a Hell Cat.~ Musta gotten it's partner, I have to warn Bit and Leena about this!~  
  
"Bit! Leena! We have a few unexpected visitors! Doc! Send Jamie out in the Raynos, we may need some help!" Brad yelled over the com, shattering the silence that had been taking place.  
  
"What!?" Bit yelled back His stunned face popped up on a screen next to the one of the Hell Cat's party. Leena echoed him "Backdraft?"   
  
"You heard what I said! I have no clue who they are! We need Jamie out here, like NOW! They've got a pair of Sand Scorpions, a pair of Rev Raptors, and a Hell Cat, and we need help NOW!" He deployed yet another smokescreen, and shrunk back into it's depths, to avoid detection.~By now that Hell Cat pilot has told his team mates that I got him, I gotta get outa here!~   
***  
I stopped firing at the Saber Tiger as soon as I heard Brad's mayday.   
"Leena think you can take care of this?"   
  
"Of course I can! do you think I need an ameture like you to take care of this wimp!" The Saber Tiger had stopped moving, it's pilots probably talking to the rest of their team. "Whatever. Doc I'm coming in. Prepare Schneider." Liger ran over to the hover cargo and jumped onto the transformation deck.   
  
"Wild Weasel Total Assault!" I heard Leena yell over the link, echoed by the pilots disgruntled cries as his Saber Tiger went down.   
  
"The Wild Eagle lives again!" I heard Jamie yell a few seconds later. ~Heh, never changes.~   
  
"Liger-0 secured to the maintenance deck," Doc said over the intercom,  
  
"Liger-0 to Liger-0 Schneider."  
  
"Liger-0 Schneider CAS complete." said Doc  
  
"GO...SCHNEIDER!"   
Meanwhile back at the Shadow Fox Brad had his hands full. The two Raptors had disappeared along with the two Sand Stingers. The remaining Hell Cat now stood facing Brad's Shadow Fox.   
  
"Why have you disturbed our battle?"(cryptic I know, I know)Bad asked over the com-link he'd opened between him and the perpetrator.   
  
"None of your business! Where is Bit? I have some business with him." The unknown pilot said. The Shadow Fox snarled back at the snarling Hell Cat.   
  
"Sorry, don't know. Why don't you try to get past me first?" Brad replied. The Fox snapped the air where the Hell Cat had been. They were circling each other.   
  
The other pilot snorted. "You? Your no challenge. Where's Bit?" The pilot repeated.  
  
"No challenge eh? Well let's just see who's better then." With that he pumped smoke into the little clearing, and disappeared into it depths. The Hell Cat turned on it's cloaking device and disappeared into the smoke also. Brad hugged the rock that the other Zoids had hid behind. And waited for the smoke to clear. As the breeze tugged the smoke out of the clearing the indistinct form of the Hell Cat become clear. He was standing just out of the smoke with the wind in his face so that the fading smoke hid him more effectively. But not good enough. ~Heh.~ The Hell Cat turned to face him.   
  
"Your Mine!" The warrior yelled over the com.  
  
"Not if I get you first!" Brad yelled back. The Hell Cat began to fire at the charging Shadow Fox.   
  
"SRIKE...{Fox's claw's began to glow}LASER...{The Fox leaped on the cringing Hell Cat.}CLAW!" The Hell Cats 90 millimeter was sliced off, and a long line down it's back was sparking oddly.   
  
"Serves you right." Brad muttered. He opened the link again. "Who's better now? Come back when you think you can beat me. If you do, Bit'll be next. Till then you better get out of here before I decide I need some target practice." He walked the Fox toward Bit and Leena.   
  
"I'll...get...you for....this." The pilot managed to rasp.   
  
"Class D warriors should know not to challenge a class S warrior. The only chance you'd have against me would be if the Fox was out of ammo, out of smoke, and unable to walk, or do strike laser claw attacks. You had no chance. You disgust me." Brad threw back at the warrior before pushing the Fox into a run towards where he'd seen Bit and Leena, and severing the com-link.   
***  
Wild Eagle had taken out a Sand Stinger and Leena was finishing off the second. Bit was holding off the two Rev Raptors, but it was obvious that he wouldn't make it out without some help. Eagle had come to help, but was afraid he'd hit Bit if he fired. Brad finally showed up.  
  
"S'a 'bout time you got here!" Leena said hotly then fired a last barrage of missals at the Sandstinger, who's system promptly froze. "Go help Bit! He can't handle both of them alone. I can't fire anything without hitting him. Get your ass in there and help!"   
  
"Gee Leena I never knew you cared." said Brad. Leena turned red and swung her Sniper around to meet Brad.   
  
"I DON'T CARE, I JUST DON'T WANT THEM AFTER ME!" She screeched.   
  
"Huh? What are you talking about? I've got it all under control." Schneider raised his deadly blades and made a run at both of the Rev Raptors. They brought their blades up to meet him, and Schneider charged through both of them, cutting both of their blades off, and began to cut a long line through both their middles. All of a sudden right in the middle of the cut, Schneider stopped, as if it had been shot. He had over heated himself.   
  
"The hell? C'mon Schneider get up, your blades'll break if you don't. C'mon, GET UP!" I tried to get Liger up manually, but the system wasn't responding. "Damnit!" I could hear the blades groaning under the weight. Liger roared, but didn't move.   
  
"Bit? C'mon get up. If you break those blades it'll really cost you to replace them. C'mon, now it get outa there! Bit?" Leena's GS walked up to us(the Raptors, and Schneider), and the face plate swung open. Apparently she wanted to see for herself what the hell had happened.   
  
"Don't just stand there, HELP ME! The blades won't last much long under the weight, and they're embedded to deeply for me to get them out." Leena got back into her Zoid laughing and took aim(well as much aim as Leena ever takes). "Be careful!" The Rev Raptor pilots still hadn't even opened a link to see what had happened. Leena scowled over the link.  
  
"Your not helping!" She retorted. The Shadow Fox walked up on the other side of Schneider.   
  
"Bit! I save your skin from one idiot, and how do you repay me? You get yourself stuck on two more! For shame! I warned you about them too!" Brad shook his head over the link. The left blade groaned and I felt it shudder up in the cockpit.  
  
"Leena! Hurry, the left blade is about to go! Brad, could you get the other one?" I asked, I was about to go into panic mode; I'd have to go buy brand new blades for both sides. These weren't replaceable. If you tried to repair them the steel work could come undone at the worst of times.~A broken blade is never the same again, no matter who repaired it. Damn.~   
  
"Why should I, you got yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out of it." He sat back, and looked back at me over the link.   
  
"You think I wanted this to happen? C'mon, get me--" Leena had fired, and the Raptor she had fired at had if anything become more impaled on Schneiders blade. I tried to get Schneider out manually again. The same results.   
  
"C'mon Schneider, GET YOUR BUTT MOVING AND GET OUT OF HERE!" Schneider roared, and managed to toss his head. I looked at the screen which showed the damage reports. The blades could only last another minuet or so before they would snap.   
  
"Damnit Brad can't you help me?" I asked. I was in full desperation mode. I needed to get Liger out of here. It finally dawned on me.  
  
"Damnit, you knew the whole time. Leena hold on a minuet before you go all gun crazy again." ~You knew too, didn't you Liger? That musta been why you didn't try harder.~ "Jettisoning armor." I turned the controller handles inward, and pulled them out. the armor sprung off Liger, and the two felled Rev Raptors fell on top each other, each with a blade sticking out of the side. The blades almost snapped in half, before the sand underneath them cushioned their fall. Nothing left of Liger's armor, Liger looked like a white cat with no ears(scuse me, but in this fic, Liger's armor is black, and Liger w/out any armor is WHITE!, NOT black. the colors are just backwards. any problems fayes_liger@yahoo.com).   
  
"Took you long enough. C'mon I heard some static over one of the links a minute ago. I think the leader is the last Sand Stinger. Lets go check him out." Brad walked the Fox over to the Sand Stinger and Leena joined him on the opposite side. Liger shook himself, as if the wind against Ligers(I'm just gonna call it skin) skin was un-nerving and unexpected.~Ya, I know.~ I rubbed my shoulder, then walked Liger over to the last remaining side around the Sand Stinger. Jamie errrr...The Wild Eagle, Leena, Brad, and the un-known Pilot all set up com-link screens, well, I patched one into the unknown's pit.   
  
"Who are you and why did you and your buddies try to sabotage us?"   
  
"THE BATTLE IS VOID! THE BATTLE IS VOID(for those of you who don't read constantly like me, void is null, not worth nada)! THE BATTLE IS RE-SCHEDULE TWO DAYS AFTER TOMORROW! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FORFEIT THE MATCH FILE IT WITH ZBC CENTRAL! WE SHALL SEE YOU THEN!" I watched the judge capsule blast off, then diverted my attention back to the unknown's screen.   
  
"Ya! we'd like to know that too!" The leader of the Saber Tigers' had patched in too.   
  
"We'd all like to know that!" Leena said. She looked pretty mad, and the look of concentration that had been on her face vanished.~Mabey she does care...~I looked at her face again and shook my head then grinned.~Nahhhhhh. At least not in this life time.~ The un-known warrior laughed.  
  
"Does the leader of the Pussy Tiger's want to know? It's not like you would have won anyway. With the Shadow Fox and the Liger-0, you had no chance. Not to mention the Wild Eagle fly's again. Sorry babe, you've got nuthin' special, cept, your good at using lots of ammo at once. I don't owe none of you anything." The un-known warrior was very indignant. Leena gasped with rage and her face got as big and turned as red as a big red balloon.   
  
"How dare you! I beat you with a few measly blasts of my gattelers and you didn't even get a good shot off at me! I oughta show you the REAL Wild Weasel." Her Gun Sniper snarled and it's head horns(correct me if I'm wrong) moved up and her whole arsenal. I could hear the leader of the Fuzzy Panda's team gasp then begin to laugh. Then he got it through his head again and began demanding a battle.   
  
"Shut it! With the condition your Zoid is in, both of yours!, there's no chance you'd be able to battle. Now answer my question! Why did you sabotage our match!?" I warrior stared creepily at me for a breath, then began to laugh again.  
  
"So now the Shitz team wants to know? I don't owe you guys nuthin." He crossed his arms and stared at me creeply again.   
  
"Why you--!" Liger lurched forward and grabbed the Sand Stinger's head pushed it farther into the sand. Over the screen I could see the small cockpit space become even smaller. The warrior's eyes were as big as saucers, and I could see the sweat forming on his brow.   
  
"BIT! Get control of Liger or I'll blast you!" All I saw for a few seconds there was red. ~LIGER GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!~ The Shadow Fox's gatteling gun fired a warning shot next to the hind legs of Liger. Liger jumped out of the way, and growled at the Shadow Fox who yipped back at him. Liger edged toward the Sand Stinger.   
  
"BIT!" Brad warned again. Liger leaped on the Sand Stinger's head and began to make the cockpit even smaller then it already was. I hauled back on the controls and forced Liger off the Stinger's head.   
  
"Liger! Get ahold of yourself!" Liger roared at me, the Stinger, at everyone. ~Liger! You better not try anything like that again. Brad won't miss next time, and you can't afford to get shot with out your armor!~ Liger shook his, jangling me about a bit, and roared again. He wouldn't try it again. Or at least until everyone's back was turned.   
  
"You got him under control now?" Brad asked. I nodded "Was that enough of a convincer?" Brad asked, mildly amused by the warriors fear which was written all over his face.  
"Try anything again and Liger might remember that he has guns." It was true, the little underbelly gun hadn't been jettisoned somehow. Liger rumbled. "Now let's see...why did you come here and wreck our battle?"   
  
"We, we were sent. She she said she'd pay us more than our wildest dreams could come up with if we'd beat you, then kill you, then rip your Zoids into tiny pieces. She said she'd come and back," he had to gulp down something "back us up if we we were about to lose. She, she, promised!" The man's calm haughty exterior had melted before our eyes as Liger roared and made advances toward the Sand Stinger's head again. I pulled back on the controls again, and Liger let me back him away from the Stinger.~Hmph...nothing but a little idiot(literally).~ He began to rave. ~Maby it's just his first time losing. Heh, I don't even think that he's every battled before.~   
  
"Bit? I'm gonna call the ZBC and have them have these 'so called warriors' arrested." Leena said as she broke through my thoughts.   
  
"Whatever. I gotta tell Doc about the components, and get Liger's armor re-placed. I'll talk to you later. Heya Brad, you wanna clean him up?"  
  
"Not a chance. Why don't you grind it's head into the sand some more. Make sure not to cut off the oxygen supply, and try not to crush it's head to much. They'll need him alive to question him. Wild Eagle errrr..Jamie it seems has already gone in. So that leaves you to clean up."   
  
"Mabe it'll cool Liger off a little more. I'll try not to hurt him to much." I let Liger smush the Stinger's head into the sand a little more, then pulled him back, still ignoring the warriors cries. "Heya Doc, I'm gonna be a little longer k?"   
  
"All right, just don't get lost." Doc replied over the com. Me and Liger took off at a good clip, blending into the sand is it changed from sand colored to white(if you've ever seen the limestone sand desert in New Mexico, {or was it Arizona?}you can tell it's like looking at snow. same applies if you've ever seen a snow drift.). We passed everything, and saw nothing. We watched battles from far away, and snooped around dead(well, Zoids that can never be repaired.)Zoids just for the hell of it, all the while thinking ~Why is everyone always after us?~ No one answered, not even Liger.   
***  
  
"Heya Doc who's turn is it for the bath?" I asked. Man did I EVER need a shower. After being in Liger's cockpit for more than six hours anyone would need it. I grabbed a towel and headed for the bath room.   
  
"It should be your turn but--"  
  
"Great, I really need it." I stripped when I got into the shower room, then threw a towel over on and walked into the shower. Which was occupied.  
  
"BIT! CAN'T YOU READ!? IT WAS MY TIME FOR THE SHOWER! GET YOUR TINY ASS OUT OF HERE! I OUGHTA SKIN YOU ALIVE! YOU LITTLE BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU!"   
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I ran out of the bathroom and saw Doc scratching his head. "I thought you said the shower was all mine!" I panted as I ran past him. He began to scratch his head, as I ran about the room with Leena hot on my tail.  
  
"Well, I did say it should be your turn. But what I was about to say was that Leena was still in there, and that she was almost done." He grinned impishly still scratching his head.   
  
"You...could...have...told...me...that...sooner!" I ran out of the room.  
  
"I'm...gonna get....you...Bit." Leena leaped and grabbed me around the middle.(I still wonder how they keep their towels on)  
  
"AGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" (nough said^_^)   
  
***  
  
"Hey Bit you mind coming over here? I want you to see something." Brad asked from the Fox's cockpit.   
  
"Hold on a sec Liger, I'll be right back. Sure Brad. What's up?" I jumped off Liger's claws and walked up the scaffolding to the Fox's head.   
  
"I want you took at something for me. Does this guy look firmilliar to you? If you ask me he looks like that little snitch that was the last one to go down." I looked in at the screen that was displayed. And there he was, the little snitch. ~I REALLY wish we had a name for this dude, seeing as we keep running into him and all.~   
  
"That's him all right. Where'd you see him?" I got out of the way, and the Foxes face plate swung shut. "How'd he get out anyway? I thought he was still in jail."   
  
"I have no clue." Brad shook his head. "I don't have a good feeling about it though." He smiled ironically. "Thing's always get interesting when you come around." I laughed from the sheer irony.   
  
"I know. It gets depressing sometimes. I'm gonna call the police and ask them if they know this twits name. It seems that every time something happens this little snitch always seems to be involved. Talk to you later." I walked back to the main room(where all the strategy and where Doc usually puts his models together.) to find Doc playing with a his new model of a Sabarion and his old Dark Horn. Jamie looked up from his strategy board.   
  
"Hey Bit what's up?" He asked with out looking up.  
  
"Nothing. I just gotta make a call that's all." I dialed the number of the police station that I'd been told the people from the attempted robbery had been taken to.   
  
"Hello? Police? Hi my name is Bit Cloud, and my shop was broken into a few weeks ago. I was wondering if you knew anything about the people who robbed it."  
  
"Well there was a bunch of people involved. Is there anyone in particular you wanted to know about?" It had been Officer Sinkew who'd answered the call.   
  
"There was a little skinny man, ummm...he looked like someone who couldn't hold a secret for very long, ummm..kinda like a snitch? About yay high?" I measured up to my nose. "Any of that ring a bell?"   
  
"I know who your talking about. His name was Wille Citrix. He was hired to break into your office, and destroy any documents he could find. Word on the street is that he was in some kind of mafia. He was there to steal as much money as possible. His accomplices were Greg Thor, Daniel Para, Yumi Agressi, and Ralph Othes. Do you know any of these names? The rest of the bunch are clean, or at least we couldn't find anything on them." I shook my head.  
  
"No, what happened to them all anyway?"   
  
"They were let out day before yesterday. Couldn't pin anything on them, and they had bail so we couldn't find anything to keep them in prison. Why? Has something happened?" He seemed genuinely worried. He didn't even know me! It was touching, in a way.   
  
"Well yes. Yesterday I had a battle and well it seems one of my team mates took little Willie out. Well, I mean they tried to sabotage our match, but we put them down before they could do any real damage. ZBC Central arrested them. I hope they haven't gotten out again. They've been trouble to us, and they don't seem to want to go away." I shook my head again, this time ruefully. "I'll let you know if we run into them again. Good day Officer." I hung up then, slumped over to the couch and plopped down on it next to Jamie.   
  
"Hey, whatcha doin'?"   
  
"O, well just re-planning the strategy for the next match, though it doesn't really matter. You guys never seem to be able to follow it anyway."   
"Sorry? I didn't hear what you said. What did you say?" To many things to think about at once.  
  
"Never mind." Jamie got up from the couch and stormed out.  
  
"What's with him?" I asked Doc.   
  
"Hmmmmmm? O, I think he's probably still sore over not being more help in yesterdays battle." Doc replied as he zoomed his Sabarion at his Dark Horn.  
  
"He did plenty yesterday! It's not like he missed out on anything though. It wasn't any more work than the first battle." I shrugged and picked up the remote. "Oh well. He'll cool down sooner or later." I flipped the TV on as Leena walked in. She sat down next to me and began to vedge out.   
  
"Stop flipping so fast!" Leena said as I flipped from one channel to the next as soon as it showed up. "Hey! Come on stop it Bit! The TV is for watching, not to give your thumbs exercise! Give me that!" She leaned over and tried to pry the remote out of my fingers.   
  
"Hey, That's mine! I was here first!" I grabbed the remote out of her hands and began to flip faster. She sat back and waited for a few more seconds before trying for the remote again. "Oh no you don't!" I rolled off the couch and held her off with my foot, while flipping.~My aren't I multi-talented today.~  
  
"Hey Bit, I got the Panzer parts fully stocked. You can go all gun crazy if you feel like it next battle." Doc said from his little corner.  
  
"No...thanks...Doc...I don't...think...I'll...need them!" I stuck my toe up her nose and shoved her backward.  
  
"BIIIIIITTTTTTTT! GET YOUR FUCKING FOOT OUT OF MY NOSE!" Leena said with some difficulty.   
  
"If you'll...just stop....trying to...get my...remote....I'll get my foot....out...of your nose!" She stopped struggling. ~I think if she had kept on trying to get it she would have probably got my whole foot up there. Maybe she actually learned to listen to reason...Nah.~ I un-stuck my foot and sat up. I looked over at Leena and fell back onto the floor in fits of laughter. Her nose was three times what it normally was, and was flared out so that you could practically see her brain.  
  
"Hey! What's so funny?" She pulled out a compact, looked at her nose, and let out a scream of rage a harpy would have been envious of. She burst into tears and ran out of the room.   
  
"You really should go and apologize to her you know." Doc said. When I finally managed to stop laughing I said--   
  
"I will in a minute. I have to see something first." I flipped the TV back on and flipped through every channel twice before walking over to her room.   
"Leena?" I could her wailing inside so I didn't go in. I didn't want to disturb the beast in it's lair. That was just plain stupid. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sure your nose will go back to it's normal size by tomorrow." That just made her cry harder. "No, no! Don't cry! I'm, I'm sorry! There, I said it. It's not like I meant to stick my foot up your nose, besides, your the one who shoved it there in the first place!" I began to scratch my head. "Look I said I was sorry, so I am. Well goodbye." I began to walk back to the kitchen. Time for another raid on Leena's stash. I got about two steps into the hallway before Leena caught up with me.   
  
"Do you really mean it?" Her eyes were round and watery. She looked like a hippo. I managed to push down another bout of laughter.  
  
"Yes, I do." I sighed. It looked like she wasn't going to stomp me after all.   
  
"Really?" I nodded. "O, thanks Bit that makes my day a little brighter." She ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck, pressing her whole body against mine. I staggered under her added weight and nearly fell. I grimaced and tried to pry her off me. ~Man someone is moody.~   
"Next time you do something like this I won't let you off so easily!" She'd jumped off me and had one of her long taloned finger's in my face. I put my hands up in defense.   
  
"Promise." I made a scouts honor sign. She laughed and I could tell she wasn't planning to put anything cold and or soggy in my bed tonight. She walked back into her room, and all I could do was shake my head.~Still looks like a hippo.~ I walked into the kitchen and raided her store's before going out and to talk with Liger.   
***  
  
"Hey Brad I have a name for our Mystery Snitch." I announced at dinner. Leena's nose had thankfully shrunk down back to it's normal size. "His name is Willie Citrix. They let him and his gooneys day before yesterday. Used to be Mafia."  
  
"No wonder he's so weird. You better be careful, he was all gun-ho on beating you to a pulp. Didn't even get a shot off. All I can say is that if the little prick gets in my way again I might do more than just freeze his system."   
  
"I know what you mean. I'm glad you got him, not me." I said. I was beginning to get sick of thinking about the whole break in, sabotauge attempt.   
  
"Jusy why is everyone after you anyway Bit? We never had any trouble at all, then poof! A whole mess of people are out to get us! What the hell could you have done anyway?" Leena asked from the peanut gallery.   
  
"How am I supposed to know? The only things I've done in the last I dunno, six months, was either a) getting parts from you, b) making money off those parts, c) fixing Zoids, and d) fixing then piloting the Liger-0. None of those things are in my mind, enough to get hit men out for me." I leaned forward and stuffed a few more noodles into my mouth.   
  
"Are you sure? You haven't been doing anything on the side have you?" Doc said with a suspicious look on his face. I put my hands up in defense after taking another gulp of my noodels.   
  
"No! Well, there was this one part that this guy had got off the black market and he wanted me to install, but I didn't! I just sent him to this guy I know who does that kinda shit. I swear I have no clue as to what's going on." I stuffed more noodels into my mouth. The sooner they were gone, the sooner I could get away from their accusations. I was doomed.  
  
"Well maby it was Liger then. Someone had to have purposely cut it half. I mean, have you ever even seen another white Liger? I never even heard of one till I found it out in the desert. It must have been a threat to whoever that guy works for, so the guy's Boss musta had it kidnapped, then sent to a chop shop before it could be found. Then I found it, gave it to Bit, Bit put it together and, voila, the Liger became a threat again. I've never even seen something cut as cleanly like that either. Everything was repaired cause of that clean cut. " Leena said.  
  
"Plain english please, some of us don't speak gibberinese."   
  
"Scuse me! I can't help that I'm so smart! And beauitful, and georgeous." Her eyes flashed stars. I shook my head and shrugged. I looked at Brad.  
  
"It must be opposite day or something." He ignored my comment.  
  
"I think Leena has either gone nuts or is actually right." He finished his noodles and sat back. Jamie looked thoughtfull as he finished his noodels and Doc looked as clueless as ever. Leena was still star struck by her 'beauty'(gomen! sorry if you think she's pretty). I snorted. ~Since when is Leena ever right?~  
  
"Whatever. I have to go make one last phone call before I go out." I dropped my empty noodle carton into the garbage and walked to my room. I didn't need to call anyone. I just wanted to get away.~Mabey I should sell the Shop. Make things so much easier.~ I sighed, then walked out to Liger's hanger space. I hopped up onto his claws. I needed some 'me' time.   
  
"So what do you think Liger?" I'd already told Liger about the conversation over dinner. Liger rumbled, uncertain. "I know, same here. I wish I knew what was going on too." Liger rumbled again. "What?" He rumbled louder. I sighed. He knew already. "No Liger, I'm going to sell yet. We've been haveing great buisness lately and I don't want to give up on it yet. I'm gonna go day after tomorrow and see what's up." Liger roared. "No, I haven't forgotten. We should be able to get the battle over with real quick tomorrow. Then we can try the Jeager parts." Liger roared and tossed his head.   
***  
"Heya Doc?" I asked  
  
"Hmmmm?" He was trying to put one of his modles back together.  
  
"I have an idea. A theory if you will. I want you to..." *whisper* *whisper* Excited gasp.*whisper* *whisper*  
  
"Ohhhhhhh that'll be great!" Doc squealed excitedly and smashed his wrecked model before he could stop himself.   
***  
"Hmph! WHY can't we go out too again?" whined Leena.  
  
"Because. Bit wanted to try something and I think it's a good idea. So we're going to try it this once. If he screws up then we'll never try anything like this ever again." Doc explained again. Brad was skulky too. He couldn't get any money or points if he wasn't out in the field.   
  
"What's this?" asked the leader of the Fuzzy Panda's team.  
  
"What's it look like? I'm here, ready to battle and win and there you are waiting to get beaten. It works out just fine."  
  
"You're more stupid than you sound. Takeing us al on at the same time. Amari, would you like the honors?" ~Hmmmm, Amari must have the least damaged Zoid. Better get rid of him first.~  
  
"No thanks, he's all yours." ~So the other dude mut have the second to most repaired. I don't even see the other Saber Tiger.~ Liger roared at the Saber Tiger's.  
  
"Bit! There's a stationary Saber Tiger about 10 miles ahead. My guess is that it's leg still doesn't work. Go ahead and take care of that one last." Jamie said as he broke through my thoughts.   
  
"WARNING! WARNING! THE AREA WITHIN A TWENTY MILE RADIUS IS NOW A DESIGNATED BATTLE ZONE! BATTLE MODE 0982! READY...FIGHT!" Jeager Jumped forward at one of the Saber Tiger's. It's partner and the fixed one began to fire at me to late.  
  
"Damn!" I heard the warrior swear. "He's fast you guy's watch out!" Jeager landed on the doomed Zoid, crashed it's system, and lept onto the last Zoid that was in sight. He fired a few shot's, all of which missed, and crashed his system too.~Now for the last one.~   
  
"Hey Liger, why don't we try out those new boosters you've got." Liger roared and the boosters came to life. We made short time of the treck the the stationary Tiger. "STRIKE LASER CLAW!" Jeager lept onto the cowering, but still firing Zoid and Liger stood up and roared his triumph and tossed his head.   
  
"And I thought you said that you were going to win?" I said cockily.  
  
"Hmph. Well you just had the upper hand because our Zoids are still not fully repaired."  
  
"Whatever. I'll tell you what. If you go to my shop to get your Zoid's repaired I'll give you the deal at half price. I'm feeling pitious." I guess I was being generous today.   
  
"How dare you!" The leader gasped with rage.  
  
"Take it or leave it. Your right, it wasn't a very fair fight. You all have damaged Zoids, and I have completely new armor." I crossed my arms. "But it doesn't matter, I won and that's what counts. If you make it in to my shop the manager'll let you right in." I closed the link's and walked Liger into the loading bay and put the origional armor back on.   
***  
"Great job Bit!" Doc congratulated me as I walked in.  
  
"I could have done the same in less time." Leena was still pouty cause she hadn't been go into battle.  
  
"Ya right. There's no chance you could have hit the Tiger ten miles away. It would have taken you at least ten minutes to get into shelling range." She stuck her nose up in the air, in the same fashion harry did. I fought to gulp back a laugh that was fighting it's way up my throat. No need to make her mad, well, at least not yet.  
  
"Hmph. Well, at least we won." She crossed her arms.   
  
"I better still get paid." Brad said.  
  
"Of course you will. It's not like it was a major battle or anything." I said. "And besides it's not like there was any major prize moiney or anything." I shrugged. "I want to go take a shower. I know for sure that it's my shower time. I'll see you when I get done."   
***  
  
"So Liger what'da ya think of the newest components?" Liger roared and tossed his head. I laughed. "Ya I like them too. You were great today. I thought we'd at least need one back up, but we got them all. You know what?" I jumped off his claws and stood in front of him. "I think it's time for a celebration raid." Liger laugh/roared. "I'd save youy some, but I don't think what I like runs to your tastes. Liger groweled. "K, I'm sorry I'm sorry! I know already." I put my hands up in defense. "I'll be back when we get another battle announcement." Liger rumbled his good bye and i walked to the kitchen, opened the freezer, and peeled aside a panel in the back.~All right! Wow I don't know why I didn't check here earlier!~ I pulled out a fudge bar with sprinkels and then moved onto the fridge and snagged a cup of her 'secret stash' noodels and a bottle of soda.   
  
"And where do you think your going?" Leena asked from behind me. I froze, then stuffed the ice cream bar into my mouth, bit off half of it, then swallowed the rest of it whole.   
  
"Nowhere. I was ahhh...just going to take some...some noodels for a celebration treat. I was just leaveing. Now if you'll excuse me." I tried to make a hasty excite, but two Leena's blocked the exit. ~Wait a minute...there aren't two Leena's--AHHHHHHHHHHHH BRAIN FREEZE!~  
  
"Whoa..." The room spun for a few seconds, then I regianed my balance as a sharp pain flared through my forhead. I slapped my hand to my head and moaned in agony. I almost dropped the cup of noodels but the bottle of pop ended up there first and I managed to hold onto the noodels. I staggered out of the way and Leena moved out before I could run into her. I stumbeled down the hall to my room and barely managed to hit the bad before I fell onto it, the noodels still clutched in one hand. I clutched my head till it didn't hurt anymore then began to laugh. It was just hysterical. I'd managed to make it past Leena, with the noodels, and now all i had was a frikin' brain freeze hangover. She hadn't even tried to stop me! I lauhed harder at that then opened the noodels and slurped them up between gasps of choked laughter and groans of pain.   
  
"Bit?" Leena was standing outside the door calling my name. I groaned and finished the noodels with a last chuckle.  
  
"Do you have to talk so loud?" I groaned. I managed to get up and the world spun. I meandered to the door and opened it admitting Leena.   
  
"What the hell did you do? Or smoke?"(in the famous words of Dave Attel, whatever your smokin' I want some! gomen, i have no idea why i said that.) She said. I stared at her for a minute then clutched my head again as another moan escaped my lips. "O.K. then you didn't smoke anything, no one could get stoned and look at me like that, so what the heck did you do to yourself?"   
  
"I was sucking ice cubes and I swallowed like three of them at once." I lied.  
  
"Why were you sucking ice cubes in the first place?" She asked, exasperated.  
  
"Owww, can you keep it down? I had a tooth ache. Plus I like sucking on ice." I looked up defiantly at her. "You got a problem with that?" She put her hands up in defense.  
  
"Hey, I have no problem with that. I'm going to go shopping, anything you want?" She walked back to the door. I groaned again.  
  
"No thanks, but if you find any new components for Liger and pay for them I'll pay you back for them."   
  
"All right then. Heya Bit, you've got some chocolate on the corner of your mouth." She flipped her hair and slammed the door as she went out.   
  
"Thanks a lot!" I yelled at the door and stuffed my head under my pillows.  
***   
  
"IIIII'MMMMMMMMM BAAAAAACCK!" Leena sing-songed as she flounced in. I heard her all the way in my room through probably one of my most favorite dreams. You know, it's the one where your surrounded by danceing half-naked chicks that are soooo totally seductive. And what happens when you hear Leena come in all the way from your room? Suddenly the chicks don't look so seductive. In fact they suddenly look like--  
  
"Ahhhh damnit Leena, why'd you have to do that to me?" I sat up and groand. The hangover/headache thing faded as my head cleared. I sat up and rubbed my head groggily. Before i could even get out of bed Leena came in and threw down a bunch of papers.   
  
"For you, no wait that one is one for me. There we go. Here's all the papers for your new parts. Now pay up, I want my money back. Called Valefor. One light-weight rifle, special sniping model, four high thrust boosters capeable of lifting the Liger, and four 60 millimeter shot lasers. Everything's white, errr...the armor is white. And guess what I got?" She stopped and let the news sink in. I rubbed my head and stared at her blankly. I hadn't expected her to actually get me new armor. I still had to try out the Panzer components and try to figure out how to use the Schneider ones. Jeager had no problem with me as far as I could tell. Finally it sank in. I can be very slow some days.   
  
"WHAT?!" She crossed her arms.  
  
"I bought you new armor. Actually I ordered it. The guy who was selling it said that he'd had it sitting in his garage too long and that he needed to get rid of it. It'll be here in a few weeks. Ohhhhh you wanna hear what I got?"   
  
"No. Leena get out." She plunged on anyway.  
  
"I got a new Zoid! Can you guess what it is?" She came and sat on my feet before I coukld move them. "I got a Geno Saurer! I still have the Gun Sniper though I'm going to sell it. I won't need it if I'm going to have a new Geno Saurer. By the way, I charged it to your account. Ohhhhhh, I can't wait to try it out! I hope dad get's done with the system soon. See ya later Bit!" She flounced out before I could say anything. I continued to rub my head.  
  
"Ah Christ."   
***  
"...and then she just ran out before I could say anything! What do you think of the new armor? It sounds pretty nice, but I don't know. Anything Leena does or gets always has another meaning behind it." Liger groweled, unsure. Then he laughed at me again. "What are you talking about? Yes I know that she charged everything to my account--Ahhhhhhh shit! My money! How much did she spend on it? Oh God. I'll be back in a minute Liger, I have to go see Leena about her new Zoid." I left with Liger still laughing at me. ~Ya ya chuck it up chucko, you're lucky I can repair you! Look's like we won't be selling the shop so soon after all.~  
***  
"Leena how could you?" I asked incredulously. "That new Zoid almost broke my bank! I don't know how I'm going to be able to pay my people to work!" Of course that wasn't entirely true, but I had to make a big deal anyway. I had to get some shits and giggels somehow. I mentally shrugged.  
  
"Well you said if I found something that was for your Liger that I should buy it and ask questions later. So that's exactly what I did." She filed her fingernails and then sat back to admire her handiwork. I stared at her, like a fish out of water with it's mouth open, agape.   
  
"I didn't think you'd actually take it to heart! You owe me big time for that new Zoid of yours too. Those components were at least 100 grand! I thought you said those parts were on sale! I got all the components from your dad for 3 thousand apiece! I thought you'd been around me long enough to know how to not get conned into buying useless parts like the ones you probably just ordered! I can't believe you did this!"  
  
"Don't you even want to know where I got it?" She looked at me all innocence. *I am NOT falling for this trick.*   
  
"NO!!!! Can't you return it or something?" I sat down and put my head in my hands, and sighed in mock frustration.  
  
"Not a chance buddy. Ohhhhhhhhhhh you should see it!" She jumped up and went all starry eyed, and clasped her hands in front of her. "It's so beautiful! It's red and has green blades and big guns...I had to pay a little extra to get them installed...BUT IT'S SO...COOL!!!" She twirled around on one foot and faced me. "I can't wait til dad finishes with the conversion."  
  
"Conversion?" I blinked a few times and then proceeded to stare at her.  
  
"Well you don't think it'd be brand spanking new did ya? Everyone knows how rare this kind of Zoid is. It was used, and because of that it has to have it's targeting system modified, and all sorts of other stuff. I'm surprised that someone hadn't scooped it up as I walked in."  
  
"Of course I know how rare it is! I'm not that stupid, though that is up for debate..., but that's besides the point. Ya have to wonder at how you got it before someone else. I bet there was a swarm of people surrounding it." I sat back and watched her through slitted eyes.  
  
"Well there was a swarm of people bidding on it..., but he was only takeing cash...and...I....uh, had previously withdrawn 450,000 dollars out, just in case, from your bank account....and...uh...well...little old me being the only one with cash on hand...uh...well....heh heh." She blushed sheepishly and and rocked back and forth on her heels. I concentrated on keeping a facial tick I seemed to have developed under control.  
  
"You...You...HOW COULD YOU???" I lurched to my feet and concentrated on forming coherent thoughts. "Ooohhhhhhhhhh Leena..."   
  
"Yes...?" She took a step back and started for the door.   
  
"I have something for you too..."  
  
"Hey!...What are you...NOOOO!!!!!!!"   
  
***  
  
"Man...I can't believe she did that." The ceiling of my room was dusted with chunky powder white spacle, and I was getting tired of looking at it. "I'm so bored..." I flipped over onto my side and closed my eyes, in the semblance of sleep. Dinner had been hours ago, and I hadn't felt like going out and getting plastered with Brad and Leena so...  
"So here I lay, bored as hell, the only thing worth doing right now...sleep." I rolled back onto my bacand shut my eyes--I was in the Schneider, not asleep in my bed.  
  
"Sorry buddy, guess I drifted off there for a second." "  
  
+Well don't do it again.+  
  
"There Liger, try to cut through that rock, it's the perfect target."   
Schneider charged and sliced through the large boulder, blades cutting through the rock like a knife through butter. *YA! Now that's what I'm talking about. Let's try another.*  
I guided Liger to where I had seen the natural rock archway. *If we can get through that then I'm sure Schneider will--* Liger sliced through the archway, again smooth as if through butter, as I the rock formation crumbled behind us Liger threw up his head and--  
Oh not again!   
The Schneider had frozen again.   
"Not again." I sighed and ejected the armor and prepared to go back to the base when--   
  
"Wait Liger what's that?"   
  
+How the hell should I know?+  
  
The enormous black object rounded the bend.   
+AGHHHHHHHHHHHH...YOU! + Liger and the black object roared at one another, both determined to blow my ear drums out.  
"Liger wait! Hold on a sec buddy! WAIT, WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME????"   
Liger took off after the black object, not bothering to reply. We rounded a bend, dogged a few rocks, then stopped.   
  
"C'mon Liger where are you taking me?"   
  
+...+  
  
The black shape was on a ridge just in front of us...  
  
"C'mon Liger if you're gonna chase after this then at least fix the monitors so I can see what it is we're chasing." Nothing in the cockpit was working.   
  
+...+  
  
"C'mon!"  
  
+...Alright+   
  
The monitor's fixed themselves and the black shape became--  
"Liger! That's that's...It's you!" It was another Liger, this one black, with no armor, like Liger was now.   
The roaring contest was back again. *Jesus...how long is this gonna take?* As I checked my watch for the fifth time in 8 minutes the roaring stopped. No pilot had tried to contact me.   
  
"Liger?"  
  
The black Liger shifted.   
  
"Uh uh. No way, you're too unprotected. We're going back." I pulled back on the controls and backed Liger out of the canyon, with Liger snarling at me the whole way. As soon as I got him turned around and heading back to the hover cargo he stopped and turned back around.   
  
"HEY! LIGER???"  
  
I pulled as hard as I could on the controls to no avail, and all I could do was watch as the scene unfolded. I heard the Black Liger run up behind us before Liger actually turned to look at it. Liger took off with the Black pacing him, and I felt the shudder of the impact several times before I felt Liger slow, the first time I had ever seen him slow.  
+Little...+  
  
He stopped to abruptly and Black sprinted past then turned to face us. Still nothing from the cockpit.   
  
"Liger! C'mon! We need to go back and get your armor! Liger!"   
  
Liger and Black charged in unison, a perfect match for one another.  
  
"LIGER!!!!!!"  
  
Liger charged the same time Black did, and ended up butting heads with one another. Liger took a step back and shook his head, jangling me about a bit.   
  
"Dirty rotten little--"  
  
Liger charged at Black again, but the Black side stepped and then began pacing Liger again. Liger smashed himself into Black, again and again till Black stopped. This time Liger was the one to turn and look behind him.   
  
+Gotcha this time.+  
  
Liger charged the Black Liger. The Black Liger stood his ground and tilted his head upward, like a wolf does when he howls, and began to pulsate a black oozing light.  
  
"Liger, I don't tihnk this is such a good idea...LIGER!!!WHAT ARE YOU DO--"  
  
+YOU'RE MINE!+  
  
Liger ran into the Black Liger, and I could feel a slight resistance as Liger charged into the midst of the pulsating light, and straIt into the BLack Liger. As the two metal Beasts met they merged and I could finally see why no one had contacted me in the cockpit. The man sitting in the pilots' seat had wires sicking out of his eyes, ears, and moouth, and there were other various plugs coming in and out of other various places on his body. There was black painting on his face, and the black cloak he wore was little than rags. As Liger plunged deeper into Black the small space separating me and the un-known pilot grew even smaller till our bodies were almost touching. I reached for the eject switch, but it was no longer there, and as I reached for the cockpit switch a cloak of white energy surrounded me and I was forced to sit back and feel the wire riddled body move through me.   
  
"AGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"  
  
It felt as If hot burning needles were being shoved into every pore and filament of my body.  
  
"LIIIIIIIGEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
I shuddered as the last of the body moved through me and Liger burst through the icy blackness. As Liger stood strait and turned around--  
I sat bolt upright gasping for breath, a cold sweat pouring down my face.  
*It...it was just a dream...I'm beginning to think that going on a drinking bender before bed IS a good idea after all.*   
"Ugghhhhhhhh......"  
  
I staggered over to my bathroom and splashed some water from the faucet on my face before takeing a look at myself in the mirror. I was shivering..., I hadn't even realized it. I ran a hand through my bed ruffeled hair, not even noticeing the mark till it had almost faded. I sucked in a strangeled gasp as the mark, tatoo really, flared, the black if the ink growing darker every second.   
  
"Whoa! No way! This can't be!"   
  
I turned the water back on and scrubbed at the mark till my hand was red and raw from al the scrubbing.   
  
"NO! It won't come off!"   
  
A chance glance in the mirror told me what I didn't want to know. The pilots tatoo's were now mine. I reached up one brilliantly glowing hand and gingerly touched the first of the markings.  
  
"This can't be happening!"  
  
Yet it was. I traced the edge of the other tatoo and all four markings', for there was a tatoo on each hand and cheek, and they all flared in a blinding white light before disappearing. My legs suddenly gave out and I grabbed frantically for the counter, but could find no hold, and succeded in only knocking my stuff all over the floor. My vision tunneled and the dim dot of the ceiling was the last thing I saw as I was heading into the blackness.   
***  
  
+Bit...+  
  
+Bit...+  
  
+BIT!+  
  
*Go away.*  
  
+You wanna see your friends again don't you?+  
  
*No......*  
  
+What about Liger? He's you're partner. Didn't you promise that you wouldn't let anything happen to him as long as he was your partner?+  
  
*How'd you know about that?*  
  
+I just do. Would you break your word to stay here? Liger will rust up and slowly die, just like he was before you found him. It's amazing how fast steel rusts...+  
  
*...*  
  
+C'mon back, it's not just Liger who needs you back, your team can't function without you.+  
*They've got Jamie...*  
  
+Ah but we both know that he doesn't do nearly as good a job as you do.+  
  
*...Alright.*  
  
A strong hand gripped mine and helped me to my feet. I hadn't even known I had been laying down. A man in odd black and white armor faced me. He had white/silver hair and stood a couple inches taller than me, but other than the odd tatoo's that adorned his cheeks and the armor wer the only things that seemd out of place here, in the nothingness. Then again, everything seemed out of place in the nothingness, so maby it wasn't just me.   
  
"So....Where are we?" The man grinned.  
  
"To be frank, I have no clue what so ever."  
  
"Well that's real helpful." I ran a hand through my hair and glanced around myself. Blackness of course, that's all there seemed to be here.   
  
"Hey I'm just as lost as you are." He shrugged and continued grinning.   
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing nothing." He shrugged again, and turned away to study the black nothingness.   
  
"Whatever. Any idea's as to how we can get out of here?" I turned my back to his and studied the nothing blackness too. *Damn, for a place where there's nothing it's pretty warm in here.* I pulled on the collar of the cloak--  
"What the hell?" I grabbed the cloak and stared at it then pulled off my gloves and there they were, plain as day. The tatoo's. "But...But...they were gone! They faded! I watched them go!"  
  
"Why are you so surprised? They're part of you now wether you like it or not. I accepted them, and now it's your turn."  
  
"But...It was a dream."  
  
"Was it?" I looked from the backs of my hands to the man and back again.   
  
"No." I slumped back into a sitting position and the man moved as if to help me back up, but I waved him away and pulled my gloves back on. "Still...What should we do now? There's no path, there's no one here other than us, and, I AM GOING INSANE!!!" The guy laughed, a heart warming sound in the bleak nothingness.   
  
"You were insane a while ago my friend, it took you this long to figure it out?"  
  
"Hey! It's not my fault! I was dropped on my head several times when I was a baby, but that's not what we're supposed to be talking about." I got to my feet, and walked over to where the guy was standing and poked a faintly glowing finger into his chest. "Aren't you supposed to be the one with all the answers?"  
  
"Uhhh...heh heh....not necessairly..."   
  
"Oh come on! You can't be serious!?"   
  
"My guess is that we have to follow that." That was a patch of darkness lighter than the rest, that was faintly circular shaped.   
  
"Follow that? It's not even moveing. I suppose we should though, seeing as it's the only thing that seems to make sense." I stepped out into the lighter darkness and waited for the man to catch up.   
  
"Say, what's your name?" I turned and looked around behind me, but there was no one there. "Damnit, this is just what I need. Merging with half dead...things, loseing myself in nothingness, being saved by a nameless person/thing/ect, AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF I'M GOING INSANE!!!! THIS'S JUST WHAT I NEED!" I stood on the small circle and turned to look all around myself. "So here I am, insane, in the middle of nowhere, and now I have to find a way back. I don't suppose you want to divulge any more little hints on how to get back do you?"   
The man's musical laughter floated around me, swift and light as a breeze on a cool autumn day.   
  
"Oh come on. I got out. Besides, takeing the easy way out is never any fun."  
  
"Humph." The mans laugh came back, the breeze now a wind, was harsher, the lightness gone from it. I shrugged and shook my head, but stayed wary, who knew when he'd re-appear again. I shrugged again and looked down at the small circle then bent down to study it further. It was only about two feet in diameter, just large enough to get my feet into. I ran a still glowing finger along it's edge, and waited to see if anything would happen. Nothing did.   
"What the fuck is wrong with this place...?" I stood up and began to take a step out, but as if a switch had been thrown, a wall of light incased me and I couldn't move. No, wait, I could move, just not the way I wanted to. Looks like things were going up, literally.   
"What the hell?! Let me down danmit!I want off this ride!"  
  
"I thought you wanted you of here?" I moved another foot up, but managed to turn a little to the left to find the man floating up with me, except that he wasn't floating in white light, he had...wings. I blinked a few times to see if the apparation would go away, but it didn't, and I couldn't move my hands enough to rub my eyes. He had...wings. The were see through, like they weren't really there, but since they didn't go away, and since   
  
"I thought I did...but if I'm going insane then whats the point of even comeing back?" He sighed.  
  
"You're not insane, it's just a new experience for you. You'll get used to it."   
  
"Wait a minute I'll get used to what?" I twisted a little more around and the momentum carrid me farther up the pillar.   
  
"Never mind, just lock your tray table into an upright postion, and hang onto your balls, we're going for a ride." We both grinned and his wings-not-wings falred and he did the equivelent of a wing stroke, sending him twenty feet or so above my head. "Last one there is a siamese donkey fucker!" I pushed off the light and surged forward, blasting myself another ten feet farther up the pillar. It only took seconds to catch up with the man, where he was waiting near the 'top'. I kicked off the light one more time and shot past him and pushed my way into the top of the pillar.   
  
"Bit! Wait!" He tried to grab onto my foot, but the pillar wouldn't let him in.   
  
"The hell with this place I'm getting out of here!" I struggeled to get my hands up in front of me, but I eventually did and 'grabbed' onto the light, hauling myself through it.  
  
"NO! BIT WAIT!" I looked down and mock saluted him before pulling my legs through the hole.  
  
*** 


	2. update update update!

hullo everyone! i dedicate this part is to Lady Kurai and ShadowBreaker? i finally got 10 reviews, that's all i was hoping to get and i got it. well, here's the next part. PLEASE IF YOU REVIEW ME PUT DOWN YOUR ADDRESS, I ALWAYS THANK MY REVIEWERS!!!!  
SS  
  
  
CHAPTER 2...i think...again  
Voices floated ovehead.   
"Do you think he'll ever wake up?" A womans voice, someone firmilliar...  
"You better hope he does! He's funding a lot of this team AND he's paying for your new Zoid."   
Another firmilliar voice, a new Zoid...what's a Zoid...?  
"I know that! What the hell happened to him anyway? And where'd the Liger go? We can't continue using Jamie! At the rate we've been going, we won't even make into class B before the end of the year!"  
Liger...Jamie...B Class?....Liger....Names with no place.  
"Whatever. If I don't get paid it doesn't matter."  
I mentally..grinned.   
"Why am I here again?" Someone...walked across the....room...  
"Cause I haveta check up on him and it's too creepy being in here with just a...body."  
Him...? Who...is him? Was he...?  
"Oh get over it. Look, he's just the same as he was the last time you came in here. I'm getting out of here, there's some adjustments on the Fox I wanted to make for our next battle."  
Fox...? The...man...he had a...Zoid...it was a Fox...a Shadow Fox...he was he was...  
The wheezing of the mechanical door sounded through the room.   
"Brad! Wait! Little bastard."  
The woman...sighed and walked...over to...me. Who is...me?  
"So what the fuck happened to you anyway? I go looking for Liger to tell you about the next match, 'cause that's where you usually are and he's not even in the garage. So you went out for a run with him. So what? Lunch, diner, still no Bit. Finally I get w--sick of waiting for you to show up so I go look in your room to see if you left a note or something. What a surprised when I find you sprawled out on the bathroom floor, unconscious. HOW IN HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO PAY FOR THOSE PARTS???" She...stomped over to....me and leaned...down so....close I could feel her...warm breath on...my face. She stood there for...several seconds....then jerked back....abruptly, the warmth leaving...my...face. I....could hear...her pacing again.   
Bit...who is...? The...words...came too...slow.  
"Oh fuck this. You can't even hear me. You're just a body with Bit's face." I heard the wheeze of the door open and shut again.  
I....I...  
****  
Liger had waited long enough. The Dragonis was coming today, and the team needed Bit. He had done the stupid thing and had forced his way through, and in consequence had stripped himself of all mobility-mind and body alike-till Li could pull him back out. +The man...heh he's such an idiot. I don't know why I put up with him.+ Liger sighed, a scraping of nails on a chalk board, then stood and shook his new armor, something that had managed to make the trip back from nothing. The new wing/boosters were fun to play with but the problem with them was that he couldn't stay in air long enough to do any damage with out a pilot. Clenching the wing/boosters down as close to his body as he could he stepped out of his cave. +Stupid kid. Who knows when I'll get enough power to wake him back up. And who knows when the Dragonis will attack again. Humans! Better go check up on him, who knows when Leena will learn to use the Death Saurer. A Death Saurer and a Dragonis. I don't like this.+ Boosters fanning to life Liger ran a few hundred meters then lept to the air, the Tauros's garage already in sight. +Better go in small....+ Liger had played with the new forms he had been given, and chose the cramped human one he had first used. Landing lightly on the roof, the man with white/silver hair, odd tattoo's, and weird black and white armor stared out over the empty plain. Something was coming.   
"Shit. Bit you better be ready, it's time to wake up." The beautiful armor matching wings that seemed to flicker from black to white flared into being and LiGer(Lee-ger, the names change with the form) drifted down into the garage, greeting each of the Zoids except for the Death Saurer who was too wrapped in it's own brooding to notice him.   
"Bastard." He muttered and went by.   
#Just wait.#  
LiGer stopped in his tracks, and turned back to face the Saurer.   
"For what?"  
#You'll see.# A strange flickering of light made the eyes of the Geno Saurer seem to burn.  
"What aren't you telling me?"  
#Do I really need to tell you? I thought you would have already known.#  
"What that the Dragonis is coming?" The Saurer laughed, an evil slithering sound that even made the Shadow Fox shudder even though their voices were almost the same.   
Brad emerged from Shadow's pit and looked around. LiGer melted into the shadows and dashed along the hall. towards the room where Bit was kept.   
# 'Ware Liger, we're coming for you!# The evil slithering laugh shivered through LiGer's bones as he dashed down the halls to Bit's room. Not waiting for the door to open all the way LiGer squeezed through the crack and stopped amazed to see Leena sitting in front of Bit. She spun around at the sound of the door opening and stood there gawking at Li till she suddenly found her voice.   
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? GET OUT BEFORE I--" She grabbed the chair and swung it at him, hitting him so hard on the head that the chair leg broke off(it was wood).   
"Owww!! Oh shut up Leena! I don't have time for this!" Li pushed her into Bit's bathroom as she tried for another swing then bent the doorknob down so that it couldn't be opened from the inside or out. Several large dents appeared in the door and threats even a sailor would have blushed at came through loud and clear. +Good thing I'm made of metal or that would have really hurt.+  
"How do they live with her?" He shook his head and studied the prostrate form of his partner. Only the slow rise and fall of his chest told Li that he was still alive. "Well...what to do with you..." He walked over to Bit and ran a hand down the bedspread, not daring to touch him. The banging stopped. Li shrugged, she probably just got tired and went to see if she could find another way in, though he couldn't quite shake the feeling of impending doom that seemed to surround her. "Well, time to wake up lazy ass. The Dragonis is coming." He touched Bit's hand shoved the gathered power into Bit. The body writhed and shook for but a moment, then stilled as if nothing had happened.   
"Damnit! I knew it wasn't going to be enough!" Summoning some of his reserve power, the stuff that powered the Strike Laser Claw and Burning Blade Barrage attacks he jolted Bit again with a fleeting +I hope this works...+ The body jerked and the mouth worked, but no sound escaped his lips then he was quiet again.   
"Craaaaaap!!" He felt the Saurer greet the Dragonis and call it's warrior. Then the steady rise and fall became labored as if something fought to be free. Anchoring his memories and all that made him in place Li plunged into the utter chaos of Bit's mind. Grabbing the chain made of memories he was pleased to see that their first meeting(the one where Bit finds the Liger halves) was at the top. +Good, this way I don't have far to go till I find him.+ Li had had to do this only once more with a warrior who had been even more thick headed than Bit, but it didn't make it any easier to sort through these roiling emotions and memories. Now he had to try and keep his own from tainting the memories too. Standing on a 'ledge' he hauled with all of his might, but there seemed no end to the memory chain. He pulled on the memory of the first time they had used Jeagar. Wild elation and smugness with a touch of disappointment painted its way across his vision. Momentarily blinded by such strong emotions he nearly dropped his hold o the chain. He shook his head and hauled faster. The snitch, why me?, frustration, cupcakes, Leena, Liger, the shop, Liger, components, all link in the memory chain, then finally the Dream, the Nothing, and there he was swinging at the end, unconscious. Or so Li thought till he saw the head turn and look at him with all black eyes. *free...* he whispered. Li grabbed Bit around the middle, hauled him onto the 'ledge', then almost fell back in utter exhaustion, barely remembering in time that there was no time left to waste. He dragged Bit to his feet and pulled the loop out so that only held his wrist, not his entire being. Bit stared 'up' with those black drowning eyes seeing nothing. +Now. We have work to do. Li will be there to meet you, and if you look long and hard, so will Liger.+ Li pulled back into himself and opened his eyes not realizing he had shut them and grinned. It faded fast when he realized there still wasn't anyone home. The base shuddered.   
"Damn damn and double damn!" Li smashed his hand into the wall in utter frustration and made a nice imprint of his fist in the wall.   
Bit's eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply.   
****   
"Wha--where am I?" With every nerve tingling I sat up and waited for the world to stop sliding in and out of focus, then groaned when it finally did. Li grinned.   
"Thank god. Get--" The building shook as if someone was firing multiple cannons at one time, but that was suicide for anyone inside the building...*What the hell is going on?*  
"--Dressed. The base is under attack." He offered me a hand up, which I took gratefully, I didn't actually think I could stand. I wobbled over to my closet and dressed in record time, only pausing briefly to try and stay on my feet when the building shook from the heavy shelling. Thank god for small miracles.   
"How long have I--"I began to cross the room but there was an extra big hit and I fell over onto Li.   
"Bit! I hardly know you!" I pushed off him, stood, and made kissey faces at him then snickered.   
"Pucker--" The base shook. "Shit." I gave him a hand up and started out the door. "Let's go." I called over my shoulder not bothering to look back to see if he was following. I ran down the hall as fast as I could, and actually managed to make it to the bay without any base shudders. The scene that lay unfolded in front of me was a ghastly thing. A pair of odd shaped gattelers and various cannons of all shapes and sizes had been thrust through a very large hole in the ceiling and all of them were shooting at random objects. The bay itself was in ruins, smoking holes pitted the whole place, but there was only one dent adoring the door out. The Shadow Fox was hiding behind my component boxes, there was a new one, I noted absently, and a dark green and black Death Saurer was tearing apart Leena's struggling Gunsniper. There was no sign of the Rainos,*Good, he musta gotten away before the fun got started.*...and there was no sign of the Liger either. As I watched the Fox popped up and got off a shot at the guns, but with only cannons and guns to shoot at the Zoid itself couldn't be damaged and kept on firing with out pause.   
"Liger! This was some time to go on a joy ride with out me!" I flung open the door leading to a set of stairs that led to the operations room, and took them two at a time..., well tried to, till I got to the top. One of the windows had been shot out, and there was a chunk of metal lodged in the remaining one, with spider-webbing cracks branching out from it, twisting the scene below into an even more grotesque. I opened a link to a very startled Brad.   
"Brad! If you give it some cover I can get the door open and you and who evers in Leena's Gunsniper can get out. What the hell happened to Leena?" His initial shock faded fast. I knew there was another reason Tauros was keeping him on the team.   
"I dunno what happened to her. I was making some adjustments to the Fox and she walked in all zombied out. Then something blew a hole in the roof and she started destroying stuff--"  
"That's nice and all, but do you want to get out of there or not?" He snarled something out that I didn't hear, and continued to frown.   
"You have six seconds to get out of there at most. It knows the layout of the entire base, and'll know where the person would have to have opened the door. I'll smoke the room and launch my net and try to tie his guns up. 6 seconds after that he'll break the net. I already tried it once, but the door was too thick and I only managed to dent it."(A/N: Brad tried to go open the door with out the Shadow Fox and almost got himself killed. He then decided it might be easier shooting his way out and was in the process of doing so when Bit popped up.)  
"All right. On three shoot, on two I'll start the door open. 1..., 2!,..." Brad filled the room with smoke and I typed in the access code that starts the door open and hit the button. "3!" The Fox leaped around the component boxes and under the door then fired the net. I ran for the door and felt rather than saw the glass shatter as the force of the shot struck the already cracked window.   
"AGGGGGGHHHHHH!!" I fell to my knee's as I felt the icy kisses of cold sharp glass pierce my back and arms.   
  
I grabbed the nearest shard of glass and pulled it out, stareing at it dimly as it dripped sticky red blood. Overhead something roared. I pulled another out. It roared again. Another. Again. Another. Again. Again and again till there was a neat little pile of bloody shards. I stared at them duly and felt blood trickle down my back. I looked up. The Geno Saurer's green eye stared back. It turned to face me, opening it's maw and ejected a long silverish tube that spewed purple/blue shining light. The nearly destroyed Gunsniper on the floor moved and tried to take one last shot, but it went wild and all it did was knock a very large slab of the ceiling down onto the Saurer's head. The attack had been paused. I looked up into the empty hole that had been the ceiling and saw what appeared to be a cat shaped head. No that wasn't right, it looked like the Geno Saurer's, more elongated and less blocky. (A/N it's like a Lightning Saix's, but longer and leaner, with one long tooth sticking out and one short one, alos like a lightning Saix's. no ears, but it has the same head thing as Liger has.)  
"The Dragonis." It's long head plunged in through the hole and a blank blue eye studied me dispassionately. The Geno Saurer stirred and whirled on the Dragonis. Screeching it flew out the open door and snapped at the Shadow Fox which lay sparking at it's gate. The Dragonis snarled and snapped at the air the Saurer had just vacated then narrowly missing me snapped at the air in front of my face. As I fainted I felt something come crushing down on me, then the world went black.   
****  
Liger snarled. This was not good. Brad was out cold, and the Fox was out of commission; Leena was off with her new Saurer, Jamie was who knew where, and Tauros was out cold and had no extra Zoid to pilot anymore. The worst part was he couldn't find Bit. After almost being hit by the Dragonis as it vacated it perch on the top of the base, he'd benn immobile for several minutes as several blinding pains shook through his body. It was bigger than Liger remembered. He shivered at the thought of it, then continued his search for Bit. He'd resumed the human form after his breif run in with the Dragonis, and still didn't feel secure, even though the Dragonis wouldn't recognize him in this form...he hoped. Briefly checking in and around the fallen Gunsniper to make sure that Bit wasn't trapped underneath it and to make sure the Doc was ok he noticed that the operations room had been destroyed. +He isn't in there, he's probably still wandering around the base somewhere. I bet he didn't even make it here., what with not using any of his limbs for a couple months. But still...better check just in case.+ Padding over to a nearly ruined set of stairs he took what steps were left two at a time, fear pushing him forward ever faster. Getting the door open was another matter completely. It was wedged shut from the inside, and there were several large dents in the door where it had been struck. Hard.   
  
+Damnit.+ Li frowned at the door thoughtfully then grabbed the handle and pulled as hard as he could. The handle pulled out of the door leaving a hole as big as his fist in the place where the handle had been.   
  
"Piece of crap." He grabbed onto the door and pulled it opposite the way it normally opened, and after a few moments of grinding indecision the door bent in half just wide enough to admit a small child. Gritting his teeth he hefted on the door again and managed to pull it open just wide enough to pull himself through, though what lay on the other side proved to be more dangerous than his breif run-in with the Dragonis. I-beams and tile and all other assortment of sharp objects cluttered most of the small space the room entailed. More than once he narrlowly missed puting an eye out while trying to make it to the clear space in the right corner.   
"Well, haven't seen him yet. That can only be a good thing I suppose." After clearing the left corner of some of the smaller debris he found he could not lift some of the debris and had to result to extreme measures. Jumping out on of the broken windows and returning to Liger he very slowly cleared the heavier peices out and moved onto the smaller ones that had been hidden underneath. Returning to the human form once again, he paused as he began removeing the rubble. There was a smear of red along the floor, then a small puddle of blood. Bit's. It couldn't be anyone elses, everyone else had been accounted for. Except Bit. Throwing peices out randomly, not careing the nics and cuts he was getting he focused getting deeper into the pile. It wasn't long before he found him, only fifteen minutes or so.   
  
"NO!" Li's face went if possible, even whiter in shock. Bit lay face down in a pool of his own blood.The only sign that he was still alive were the small bubbles that appeard every few seconds as he slowly breathed in and out. Li pulled Bit out of the rubble and as gently as possible, so as not to harm him further picked him up with out touching any of the acheing area's that were mirrored and only slightly less painfull on Li's own body. Jumping out the winodw and flying were completely different things when he had a load Li realized too late. He landed hard on his kness and almost dropped Bit in the process of getting back onto his feet. +I have to waken the other's. I better leave something to tell the them where we're going. If we make it.+ The last thought made Li grin, but it wasn't a pleasant grin, it was just a bareing of teeth. Li looked around and then remember3ed the fallen Gunsniper underfoot.   
  
"Good. I can take the Sniper's first aid kit and put it out of misery all at the same time. I wonder who ho was..." He shook himself and took off his cloak makeing a temporary pad for Bit to lay on. He would return to his other self to take Bit away, but he would have to tell him the truth sooner or later. Li climbed back into the shattered puit of the fallen Gunsniper and grabbed the kit from under the seat where Doc stil lay unconscious. He studied the still form for a moment then crawled down to what was left of the midsection of the Sniper. A faint light shown from a small crack and pulsed very weakly.   
  
"It's alright. If you will do one last thing for me then I will release you from the broken form so you may go and inhabit a new one." The light around the crack pulsed strongly once then went back to it's weak pulsing. "Thank you. Record a message and leave it for all to see, it is a simple task and once it is done you shall go to your next fate, this one been played out." Without staying to see if it would or not he climbed back to Bit then picked him up, balanceing him precariously with one arm, and holding tightly to the first aid kit with the other. The cloak vanished and returned to Li's shoulder's with out disturbing any of them.   
"You may start. Doc Tauros, Brad, Leena has run off and Bit and I are going to bring her back. Find Naomi and Jack. We'll need them when the time comes. Watch out for shady people who propose false deals." He returned to his other shape and was surprised to find Bit already in the cockpit strapped in with the kit on the floor between his knees. Liger rumbeled a farewell one last time his friend and released him from the world.   
  
  
  
okey okey here is ANOTHER revision. if i get 2 reviews then I'll try to write more, but i'm not promising anything, stoopid writer's block can't even be cracked by Goku's head.   
oh and i don't own nothing 'cept a really cute Liger and and Zaber Fang.^_^ 


	3. evolution

for those of you who are just tuneing in a lot has happened. you might want to go back and check the last chapter seeing as i updated that chapter and didn't update the summary. well, thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!   
Chapter 3  
*****  
After a few slow hours of unconscious I finally woke, shivering in the slight breeze. Wakeing was the first surprise of the day, and many more I found were comeing. It was still night outside, but a bright light painted orange and red across my vision in an odd mosiac of colors. I opened my eyes and stared confused at the campfire in front of me. My entire body ached, tiny rivults of pain shooting up my arms and legs as I tried to sit up. Even breathing hurt. *How am I still alive? My wounds must not have been as bad as I thought, but didn't sometihng fall on me? And what of the monster the Dragnois? More importantly where the hell am I and how did I get here?* I probed gently at my back and discovered bandages where I half remebered pulling out glass shards from the exploded windows. I grimaced at the movement then sat up strait was I realized I wasn't alone. The pain from that movement made me double over. A I felt a omforting hand on my shoulder after the pain passed and I looked up to see Li, the one person I hadn't expected to see at all. My surprise must have showed for he grinned and backed away to the other sidde of the fire again.   
  
"Nearly lost you again. What's with you and almost dying anyway?" He handed me a small package with blanket wrapped up so many times I didn't think I'd find the end of it as I unwrapped it.   
  
"So where are we? Shouldn't we be back at the base or something?" I ignored his question and posted one of my own.   
  
"Well, where in the middle of the desert. Leena was headed out this way, and we need to catch her before she it's too late."   
  
*Leena...that's right! She was going all nutsy on us and then stomped off. What the hell got into her?* Question's swirled through my head one leading to the next and creating more questions in the process.   
  
"Ohhhkey.....well, how the hell did we get out here? I mean I couldn't have walked, I can barely breath without something acheing, and I don't see a car or any other sort of transportation...so how did we get here?"   
He sighed and muttered something unintelligible then grinned at me, a white slashing of teeth through the night.   
  
"The truth is I'm not who I seem. I've been around for centuries and have never had to do half the things I've had to do in the last few months. I've never had to heal myself, and realy have never had to; I never thought I'd fly again or eat food like a normal person, though I do admit flying isn't something a normal person does." He stared off into the distance at nothing.   
  
*This guy has offically gone nutters. Where's a strait jacket when you need one anyway?* I pulled the blanket tighter around myself as the slight breeze picked up, and grimaced as pain spread fire down my nerves. *Not that I could move to put it on him in the first place.* I almost grinned but I caught sight of Li's face and quickly stopped. He was dead serious.   
  
"Who are you really?" I looked at him really for the first time. Close cropped silver hair framed clear amber eyes, a delicate looking nose and a mouth that laughed at the world. His armor looked like Liger's, black and white. He had a dangerous air about him, and even unarmed he seemed capeable of very severe violence. He started slowly savoring the memories.   
  
"I was what your raced called an Ancient Zoidian. Back then there were no Zoids, just the animals and us. Our continent was a vast vast place filed with jungles and plains of grassland lakes and ponds of all sizes. Villages were scattered around the whole continent and we lived in peace till one day we were invaded by another race of Zoidian's, a barbaric race that destroyed many of our villages and killed many of our strongest warriors. Our King and Queen summoned us to their valley one day we gathered in tremendous display. Deep into the valley was our...our...capital, our biggest city. We gathered in the plaza in the front gates that led to the desert and were about to recive a speech from out King when She burst in."   
  
His gaze had turned inward long ago, but he turned to look at me, through me really, following the events over again as if they were happening now.   
  
"The walls that surrounded the city were made of wood at the time, and an easy thing to break for a Zoid of Her size. She came galloping in as a great cat, much like a Lightning Saix, broke through our doors and seized control of the army with her look alone. Before our very eyes she shifted shape, and settled down into a very attractive human female form, and we fell to our knee's and proclaimed her Queen. The old king and queen didn't even put up a fight. There were several of us who did not fall, we were too awestruck or scared to move, me among them. She told us to go find animals, dinosaurs, beasts of every kind and tame them, then bring them back to her. We thought it odd, but she was our new Queen and She was not to be displeased. We dispersed to all the lands north south east and west of the city to find and bring back the animals we wanted. Anyway, many came back with beasts that could barely fit through the gates, other's with palm sized companions. Some found rare beasts that came to do horrible things as they let their memory slip of who they were."  
  
I didn't get what he meant by that, but I paid even greater attention, not wanting to miss a bit of his story. It had been pure entertaiment thus far and I hoped it would get better. *A world without Zoids. He really has flipped his lid.*  
  
"As we all assembled the next week in the plaza again as SHe had requested. No one dared talk. With a wave of her hand and a chain of gold surrounded the necks of every person there, and scared most of us either to our knee's or fainted on the spot. Magic was a thing that very few people had those days, and to see such a display would make even the strongest willed person doubt themselves. I had fallen to my knee's and had bowed my head when I saw the small disk form on the chain. At the time it was a blank gold coin, and back then even the smallest sliver of gold back then was worth a lot more than you. I glanced up at Her as she began to talk. She told us that once we walked through those gates we would never be the same and that if we did as we were told then we would live forever. Many didn't believe her. Many did. They had no time to reply for with one sharp gesture she told them to sleep and they did, all except for a hundred or so soldiers and lutenients who had not found beasts."   
  
He paused again and turned to stare in the campfire. I was so far from believeing that I actually was beginning to believe. *Where is this going...What does this have to do with how we got here...?*  
  
"Then she said, "For those of you who have no beast come with me for you are my Chosen. You are the bravest, cleverest, and strongest of this army. So you shall become even more powerful. Follow me to your destiny." I had not fallen asleep with the rest, so I trudged along behind her and the other men. First she took a group of thirty to the mountains. She came back alone. The next group of 30 went to the grasslands to the east. Again only she came back. The next group was of 30 as you probably have guessed went to the north. We were the last of her 'chosen'. She beckoned, we followed. We plunged in and walked for hours till we came to a clearing in what was undoubtedly the middle of the jungle. In the clearing there was a small waterfall that fed an even smaller pond. By that time we were very thirsty and weary, but not thirsty enough to approach the it for it was ringed by lions of every size and color. There were a few tiger's on the ledge where the water fell, but I have no idea what happened to them."   
He looked up.   
  
"I thought it odd at first that tiger's would be mixing with lions, but I forgot about that as soon as a sinister looking black maned one quickly caught my eye. I locked eyes with it and stared down into alien depths for what seemed like eternity. Finally I wrenched my gaze away and looked around to see everyone else but Her was just as transfixed as I had been. The women who had been in our party were gone. I looked back at my lion and found it was slowly advancing on me, then stopped about a meter away and stared at me with those alien eyes. I stared back, then held out a tentative hand, inviting him closer. He sprang on me, claws as big as daggers I had not seen unsheathed. I grimaced in pain as they tore through the light chain mail I had on and into my shoulders underneath."   
  
He was really into his story now, he'd even grimaced in pain as he'd told the part about getting clawed.   
  
"His weight was suffocating but I bore through it and his tests. He leaned down close and nipped my cheek, getting rancid smelling slobber all over me, then licked it all back up, tasting me."   
  
A ghost of a smile almost played it's way across his lips.   
  
"I grabbed his mane and pulled his head closer, then licked his nose and then pulled the chain off and looped it around his neck. There was a tingling sensation and the world went black then I felt as my skin was getting to large for me to hold me, to hard to be my own. Then some tree branches were poking me in the eye and there were twigs in my mouth, and I found I was on all fours instead of on my own two feet. I looked down to find Her weeping. 'What is wrong?' I tried to ask, but again all that came out was a lions roar. I was puzzled by this, but she pointed to the pond in a silent request to look. I took a step forward to look into the pond and nearly crushed her, my hand was now a paw made of something other than flesh and as big as the pond itself. I peered down into the pond and found no eye to glare back. I had become a Shield Liger. I took a step back and a twig snapped, but it wasn't a twig, just a very small tree. In a sudden rage I tore down other numerous tree's till the small clearing had become bigger then myself. The small pond had been covered with tree's but she hadn't been touched in my rampage. When I stopped, my feet buckled from underneath me and I landed with my nose barely touching Her soft small legs. She ran her hand along my new nose and muttered something under her breath, then aloud she said   
  
'You are one of the first, you are the first of your species the Ligers. You now are Liger and forever you shall be. Or at least till you lose the will to live.'   
  
The last was barely above a whisper, and I had a hard time focusing on her shape.   
  
'You must not forget who you are, or terrible power shall be loosed upon the world that no one could stand against.'   
  
The last I don't know if I heard or if it was simply my imagination but for the last time in my 'life' I slept. Year's later I awoke. Even I have no idea how long I slept. When I awoke I was covered in vines and blood was permanently stained to my claws. 'Where has this some from? 'I asked myself over and over again as I lay there in the dark the first night. As it began to get brighter and brighter I saw that a shrine had been built in front of my face. A young boy was always there trying to keep things tidy and orderly. I didn't know and couldn't move enough to ask. I had begun to rust and the vines had penetrated every nook and cranny that my new body possessed. One day after watching the people come to leave their offerings I asked the boy if he could clear the vines from me. He was so startled that he nearly fainted; a statue had come to life just for him. Of course he had no idea what I'd asked him to do, but I made an attempt to get up then fell down hard on purpose to tell him what it was I'd wanted."   
  
He stopped and took a dep breath then began again.   
"He left momentarily and came back with a small knife and began to cut the vines away from me. He worked hard all night then as the sun began to rise again he fell asleep on top of my back his little knife still cutting into a vine that had wrapped it's way around one of the protruding metal things on my back. People came as they always did and left again saying a few words of thanks at a victory I had given them long ago and the plea to keep guarding their small village. I had no idea of what they were talking about at the time, but I planned to go see what had become of all my comrades as soon as I could move."   
  
He fell silent for a time, reliving the experience. *This...is amazing! He's...he's the first Zoid ever created! Jesus tap dancing Christ. He's gotta be like a million years old!* After a few more moments of stareing into the fire, *No into the...past.* he looked up at me not through me, then grinned.   
  
"Think I'm crazy yet?"  
  
"...No." He raised an eyebrow, then he grinned again. *How can this be real...? But how can it not be? With all that I've seen recently there's not much you can say is impossible.*   
  
"What happened next?"   
  
"Well the boy cut me free and eventually greased my joints up well enough that I could move again. The last night the boy worked on me there was sadness in his eyes as he put the last touches on my face plates. He finished his shineing then sat there and began to talk. He told me of his life, and of his dead parents, and then he told me about me.   
  
'Do you know what? You're one of the greatest heroes of the world. My grandfather told me that there were these really bad people who came and killed a lot of us but you and many other ones like you came you and a whole army like you came to defend us. The bad people swarmed you and your companions but you fought them off. they had a few like you too, but you slew them in one stroke. All at once the invaders descended on just you and split open your head. After smashing or killing or whatever was inside they withdraw again. You somehow recovered, grandpa said it was a miracle. But you went wild. You just started killing everything. When other's from your army approached you slew them and when the enemy retreated you went after and slew them too. Every last one.'   
  
I roared. He stroked my face plate a little startled, but not discouraged.   
  
'You won the day, you slew all the enemies! Enemy blood stains your claws and now they are no more, nothing can stand against you.'   
  
He patted me fondly again. +NO! I... I wouldn't have!+   
  
'After the battle you retreated to here,' he told me 'and died, though you had sustained no great injuries. Now you are alive again, and are about to leave.' I stood, something I hadn't done in years. The screech of metal on metal made the boys eyes go wide and he fell onto the switch that opens the cockpit. I stood there amazed that I was still alive after my head had 'exploded'and the boy took advantage of my being stunned and climbed into the cockpit. He was to be my first pilot. I wandered and when he needed food we stopped at villages to get some. I stayed. One day I found out what had happend to my army. They had attacked the invaders and utterly destroyed them. I found a few bones from the invaders skeletons in a field one day while I was wandering. There were two or three other's like me, other fallen Zoids. When I saw this I silently cried for their loss, but moved on. Every once in a while I'd come across another of my transformed comerades, but when I spoke to them they didn't not respond. It was as if they had forgotten. If I approached one of them they'd either stand their ground and fight me or run away. I always won. Many years after I aquired my first pilot he died. I didn't realize at first, then as a month passed I realized it had been a while since the boy had needed food realized what had happend and dumped him from my head. I hadn't liked him much though I had grown fond of him in the end, so I scraped some dirt over him and left. I wandered aimlessly for years, watching Zoidians die out and the humans take control. I felt pity for my former race, but I wasn't one of them anymore, and didn't care what happeend to them. I had become quite unattached from everone and everything. Besides, I reasoned to myself one night while pondering the new invaders, if they had really cared about me they would have missed me and would have come looking for me or my comerades."  
  
He stopped and looked into the fire, guilt etching it's way across his face. I was silent. What could I say to all this? That he was crazy and needed to be drugged into oblivion? My stomache took this moment to grumble loudly. His head jerked up out of the memories and he grinned.   
  
"I suppose you haven't eaten anything lately have you?" He rummaged around in a bright yellow pack that bulged to the limit, it's seams popping under the weight of everything it contained. He pulled out two containers of ramen, a large pot and a pouch of water. He laid the pot on the fire and poured the water into it and let it start to boil.   
  
"Not recently no. If you were a Sheild Liger back then, then how did you come to be a regular Liger?" I watched him carefully looking for any hesitation on his part. He looked up sharply at me then back into the fire.   
  
"It happened shortly after I was captured. I allowed them to take me, I was getting bored of wandering and I wanted another pilot. They were in a war, the first war since the Zoidians had fallen. These were the days when Ziods were just being tamed and the days when they were forgetting who they were...I was assigned an ameture pilot at first, but I didn't like him so I didn't allow him to stay in the cockpit. The assigned me another, better pilot. I accepted him. We were to go on a scouting mission, they figured that if we got into any kind of trouble I could at least have a some defense against an enemy. We had been gone for three days before we were found. A Konig Wolf found us." My eyebrows drew in in confusion. What the hell was a Konig Wolf? Apprently muy confusion must have shown again for he began to elaborate.   
  
"A Konig Wolf is a like a Command Wolf only about three times faster and more powerful. It was built to destroy my kind. t caught mr totally unawares in the middle of the forrest, and I didn't even have time to raise my sheild before it sank it's electric teeth into me. I fell, and tried to turn around, but that form was too slow and it caused me to almost get killed. I got back up and readied to face it again, but it had run away. I thought it had just been playing with and had grown bored and gone away. My pilot was a bit shocked, he had never seen a Zoid like that before. Neither had I but he was the pilot and I had to respond ot most of his actions, so when he froze in shock so did I. The Wolf took advantage of that and took up a snipeing spot and struck me down. I hadn't had a chance to anything, everything had happened so fast. It was my first defeat. I couldn't believe my pilot. I had thought he had better skills than that, and after that I've studied the people who wanted to pilot me and if I found their skills did not please me i never let them in. Anyway, my pilot climbed out a day after my defeat and went back to his pitiful war to pilot another Zoid. I lay there for years before another found me. She was a young girl with raven black hair with ghostly white skin and delicate features. She walked up to me and tutted.   
  
'Look what happend to you.' she said. She spoke to me as if she had known me my whole life. 'You should have been more careful. If I promise to bring you back stronger than before will you agree to something?'   
  
I didn't think I could even growl I was so weakend, but I managed something. I did not want to fade in the middle of nowhere. I knew there were bigger things for me.  
  
'I'll take that as a yes.' she grinned, I could barely tell, her teeth looked to be the same color of her skin. She walked over to my open cockpit and bruched all the wildlife and twigs and other things that had collected in there over the years. I suddenly didn't want her to touch me. She reminded me of someone, someone I didn't want to remember. SHe climbed into the cockpit after she had cleaned it out sufficiently and started playing in my head. That's what it feels like when you yank on the controls or give an order. I set my mind on something, and suddenly that something changes."   
  
I shuddered there had been someone in my head and it hadn't been one of the most pleasant experiences.   
  
"I've long since goten used to it, and I know what is really going on in my own head now, but when I had my very first pilots I was almost always confused by what I wanted to do and what I was being told to do. She played about with the controls for a few minutes then climbed down out of the cockpit and walked a perfet circle around where I lay, while muttering something incoherent. After she finished with the fist circle she did another, this time running her small pale white hand along my sides and legs as she made her way around, still muttering nonsense under her breath. She came back to my head and touched my nose just like She had all those years ago and I felt, really felt for the first time in who knew how long something. It statred as a tingle and as it moved down my body it turned into a burning wave. It hurt, and I jumped up from the sudden feeeling, and almost smashed the small girl into the turf, but she dodged away from my bulky claws before I could damage her. I shook myself, purely enjoying the sensation of moving. I roared and told the forrest it's king was back. I had been reborn as a Blade Liger."  
  
don't own nuthin cept a couple a kawai models^_^. oh ya and i'll try to update sometime before the end of the year though I'm not promising nuthing. 


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